


All That Can Change

by TableForThree_Archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drama, Humor, Multi, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Post-Half-Blood Prince, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-26
Updated: 2005-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-18 23:15:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 58,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4723901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TableForThree_Archivist/pseuds/TableForThree_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Hogwarts fic. Contains minor HBP spoilers. Voldemort has finally been defeated and the trio are getting ready to move forward with their lives in a way they never thought possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Jonathan Andrew Sheen, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Table for Three](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Table_for_Three). When traffic and uploads slowed to a trickle, it became difficult to justify the hosting expenses. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in January 2015. I e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact me using the e-mail address on the [Table for Three collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/triofic/profile).

As Hermione stood outside in the endless backyard surrounding The Burrow watching the guests laughing and socializing with each other, she thought back to how a few short months ago this would not have even been possible.  
  
Voldemort had still alive and his Death Eaters had taken to raiding houses almost daily. It hadn't mattered if they were pureblood or muggle. If they weren't loyal to the Dark Lord they were as good as dead in their eyes.  
  
That was why for someone like Hermione, who had been up to her neck in the war right from the start, still had trouble believing sometimes that the fighting was really over. That they were all starting to pick up the pieces of their life and figure out where to go from here. She could not think of a better way to start off this new era of peace than with the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour.  
  
After Bill had been severely injured back in her sixth year, Mrs. Weasley had been pushing her son and Fleur to have the wedding as soon as possible. She kept saying you never knew if tomorrow is going to be there, but the couple had wanted to hold off their wedding until the war was over and despite Mrs. Weasley's nagging had gotten their wish.  
  
Hermione understood their reasons for waiting. Yes, everything had been uncertain and it was possible they could have died any day, but they had wanted to celebrate their vows in a happier time, one where they would actually know they were going to have a future together.  
  
Bill's face was still horribly scarred from Fenrir Greyback's vicious attack, but after many months of healing he no longer bared an extreme resemblance to the disfigured face of Mad-Eye Moody, who was looking even more battle scarred these days.  
  
"I can't believe I'm actually related to her now," Ginny said in a mournful tone from beside her.  
  
"I thought you liked Fleur now," Hermione said to her.  
  
They were both watching Fleur's parents talk to their daughter in rapid French, while Bill stood there with his arm wrapped around his wife's waist.  
  
"I said I could stand her," Ginny corrected. "But I have to admit most of the things I hated about her are gone now. I really thought she would drop Bill and go back to France when she saw his face after Greyback's attack, but she stayed with him. She isn't is superficial as she appears to be."  
  
"That iz because she iz beautiful enough for zee both of them," said Tonks doing a near perfect impersonation of Fleur.  
  
"That was really good, Tonks," Ginny said in admiration. "Maybe you should get Remus to take you to France."  
  
"With the way your mum's pestering him, I'll be lucky if he lets me go home with him."  
  
Tonks looked over her shoulder and the girls could see Mrs. Weasley deep in conversation with Professor Lupin, who was smiling politely and nodding his head but it was clear he wanted to be anywhere but that particular spot.  
  
"I love Molly to tears but you think she would at least wait until Bill's wedding was over before asking when Remus and I plan on getting married."  
  
"You're not even engaged yet, are you?" Hermione said to the Auror.  
  
"Are you kidding me? I've finally convinced him to have us go out in public together, if I mention the word 'marriage' he'll just fall back on his old argument that he's old enough to be my father. I think just from talking to Molly about it he's sprouted several more grey hairs."  
  
"Well, Tonks, he kind of is," said Ginny with a smile.  
  
"True, but with age comes experience, though I'm sure you know all about that," said the Auror winking at her.  
  
Ginny blushed. "Dean is only a year older than me."  
  
"Where is that Dean Thomas bloke anyways? I thought you would have brought him."  
  
"He's in Scotland visiting family until Wednesday," Ginny explained.  
  
Hermione had lost track of the number of times Ginny and Dean had broken up only to get together again a month later. They were currently on the longest stint of consecutive months together at six. She wondered how long it would last this time.  
  
"And where are your boys, Hermione?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Hermione choked, feeling her cheeks flush.  
  
"Well, Harry and Ron are your best mates and with the way you keep them in line, technically it's like they are yours," Tonks said, amused by her reaction.  
  
"I saw them go inside a while ago," she said, choosing not to comment on the Auror's remark. "Ron said something about a Cannons game on the wireless."  
  
Ginny snorted. "Figures that even for his own brother's wedding, Ron can't miss even one Cannons match. You should have just spoiled the game for him and told him they lose."  
  
"I should probably go back over there and rescue Remus," said Tonks, but she made no move to leave. "Then again, if I leave him with Molly long enough she might talk some sense into him."  
  
After that Ginny and Tonks started talking about some upcoming Weird Sisters concert, which Hermione had no interest in, so she left telling them she was going to bring Harry and Ron back outside.  
  
Once she was inside and had the back door to the house shut behind her, the noise coming from outside was cut down in half. Harry and Ron were nowhere in sight but she wasn't surprised. They would be in the room they were sharing listening to the Cannons match on the wireless.  
  
She marched up the staircase, already having a few choice words in mind for one Ronald Weasley. Harry would also be in there with him, but she highly doubted it would have been Harry's suggestion to come inside and listen to what he called was the worst Quidditch team in half a century.  
  
Ron could go one day without Quidditch and she didn't think she was being unreasonable. Besides, it was much better that she find him and tell him off than Mrs. Weasley. If she weren't so caught up with Remus, she probably would have asked already where Ron was. If she came inside and found him listening to the wireless instead of outside with the other guests she would go ballistic.  
  
The door to the boys room was closed and she figured they had done that to prevent anyone who happened to come in the house from hearing the Quidditch match being broadcasted.  
  
When she was just in front of their door, she was surprised to hear nothing but silence. After standing there a moment she heard noises that had nothing to do with the wireless. Her curiousity got the better of her and she pushed the door open.  
  
She was sure she let out a loud gasp at the sight before her, but it must have been timed exactly with Ron's because neither one of them noticed her standing there in the doorway, gripping the door handle so tightly her knuckles had turned white.  
  
Never in all the years she had known Ron and Harry would she have expected to walk in on them like this. Not once did she ever think there was a remote possibility that they were anything more than best mates. But the scene unfolding in front of her, the one she couldn't tear her eyes away from, showed how very wrong she had been.  
  
Ron was flat on his back on the bed with his trousers pushed down to his ankles and Harry's face buried between his legs. Though Harry was blocking her view, her imagination took over and she knew from the up and down movements of her dark haired friend's head that he had Ron's cock in his mouth. Ron's eyes were screwed shut and he had one hand gripping the backboard while the other was tangled in Harry's hair, trying force his cock deeper into Harry's mouth.  
  
"Fuck, Harry, I'm close," Ron grunted.  
  
That made little difference to Harry, who continued to move his lips along Ron's shaft, sucking him greedily.  
  
When Hermione heard the beginning throws of Ron's orgasm, she backed out of the room, taking care to shut the door as quietly as possible behind her. She could have slammed it shut and they probably wouldn't have heard it.  
  
She didn't know what to do. She couldn't go hide in her room because they might think she had heard them, but she also didn't want to go back outside. All she wanted was to be somewhere far away from The Burrow, so she could be alone and cry.  
  
It was all she could do to prevent herself from bursting out into tears then. She was hurt and angry, but above all else she felt betrayed. How could they keep something like this from her? She was there best friend, was she not?  
  
She felt like a fool. No wonder Ron had never asked her out. He had always seemed so jealous of any boy that talked to her that wasn't Harry. They had been fighting about Viktor Krum for over three years now, but she had obviously misinterpreted his jealousness. It was nothing more than over protectiveness.  
  
And Harry, he had been with Ginny, just like Ron had been with Lavender, which was probably why she had never conceived the fact that they only had eyes for each other.  
  
It hurt knowing Harry was gay because she had harboured feelings for him almost as long as she had for Ron, but it hurt even more to know that Ron was gay as well. Her feelings for him had always been the strongest and she was hoping that now that the war was over, maybe they could put aside the denial they had been living with for years and admit their feelings went deeper than friendship. But after what she had just witnessed she was no longer holding on to those delusions. She was officially done pining after Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.  
  
She decided to go back outside to the reception. At least if she could busy herself talking to other people, it would help distract her from the truth. The truth that neither Harry or Ron had ever wanted her.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
On Sunday morning, Hermione couldn't help but watch the two of them at breakfast, trying to observe if there were any obvious clues that Harry and Ron were romantically involved. But there was nothing, no sign that they were anything more than best mates and that frustrated her.  
  
Ron was munching away on a piece of toast, while Harry was reading the real estate section of the Daily Prophet. That worsened her mood when she remembered Harry and Ron were getting their own flat together and she would be going back to live with her parents at the end of the summer.  
  
"Find anything decent?" Ron asked, his mouth full of food.  
  
"Honestly, Ron, it wouldn't kill you to show some manners at the table," she snapped at him.  
  
"Look, I just woke up and this is my bloody house so I can do whatever the hell I want," he snapped back. Does she really have to start on me this early in the morning?  
  
Hermione threw him a sharp look and went back to her own breakfast. She knew it wasn't fair to get on his case like that, but she couldn't get over how angry she was with them. Why couldn't they have just told her?  
  
"Why don't we go into London today?" Harry suggested, sensing there was some tension between his friends and trying to diffuse it. "We could take Ron to the muggle movie theater since he's so fascinated by it."  
  
Normally, she would have appreciated Harry playing the peacemaker but not on that morning. "I can't. I have work I need to finish up for tomorrow." She had been working for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures Office since early July, and after only being there a month she enjoyed it immensely. There was always someone smuggling in illegal creatures and so many regulations regarding domestic creatures there was never a dull moment. Though she didn't have to bring work home, it helped her manage her workload better.  
  
Ron snorted. "There's a shock."  
  
"I'm not going to apologize for taking my job seriously," she said through gritted teeth. "Unlike some people I have ambitions."  
  
Ron's jaw dropped but before he could say anything, Harry jumped in. "What about tomorrow night when you're done work?"  
  
"I can't. I  I have a date," she said in a small voice.  
  
Now both boys' mouths were open. Technically, she wasn't lying. Terry Boot who worked at the Ministry as well, had asked her out twice but she had politely turned him down on both occasions. She was sure if she asked him out he would say yes.  
  
"With who?" Ron demanded.  
  
"Terry Boot," she said coolly.  
  
"That git!" Ron cried.  
  
"You think everyone is a git, Ron," she said with a roll of her eyes.  
  
"How long have you been seeing him?" Ron wanted to know.  
  
"I'm not seeing him. This will be our first date."  
  
"How come you never told us you fancied him before now?"  
  
"Because it's my personal life and I don't have to tell you everything that goes on in it. I'm sure you don't tell me everything about yours." She noticed with some satisfaction Ron's ears reddened slightly under her remark.  
  
"You're right, it's not any of our business," Harry finally spoke up. "But we're your friends and thought you'd tell us something like this."  
  
"I didn't think it was important."  
  
Ron nearly fell off his chair. "Didn't think it was important?"  
  
"Can we not discuss this anymore?" She said brusquely.  
  
"What is your problem this morning?" Ron asked her. "Harry and I haven't done a thing and you're snapping our heads off."  
  
"Not Harry's, just yours," she said evenly.  
  
Ron grabbed another stack of toast from the middle of the table and dropped it on his plate, muttering, "bloody PMS."  
  
It took all of two seconds for Hermione to stand up and storm away from the table, saying loudly, "insensitive prat."  
  
"You shouldn't have said that, Ron," Harry said after Hermione's abrupt departure. From experience, he knew their mutual best friend probably wouldn't speak to either one of them for the rest of the day and possibly the next one.  
  
"What? That's what she's acting like," Ron glowered. He angrily bit into his piece of toast. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet and he had already rowed with Hermione. It was going to be a bloody awful day.


	2. Chapter Two

"I thought you had a date tonight," said Harry, standing in the doorway of Hermione's room.  
  
"Yes, well, it didn't work out," she said, from where she sat cross-legged on her bed with a book open on her lap. "Terry's not really my type anyways." She had been all ready to ask Terry out but in the end decided not to go through with it. Terry was a nice guy and he deserved better then to be used as a way for her to get back at Ron and Harry.  
  
"Who is your type then?" Harry said boldly.  
  
She kept her eyes focused on her book, pretending not to have heard him.  
  
"If you're staying in, why don't you come out with Ron and me?"  
  
"I'd rather stay here, thanks."  
  
Harry frowned. She had been acting like this since yesterday morning – distant to the point where she was cold to both him and Ron. "Look, I know you're upset over what Ron said yesterday," he began, coming over to sit on the bed with her, "but you have been a bit overly sensitive lately. Is there something bothering you?" He figured it was better he talk to Hermione rather than let Ron do it, since it would likely just lead to another row between them.  
  
Hermione closed her book and stared at him. She looked to be on the verge of tears.  
  
"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked, even more worried now.  
  
She had planned not to say anything to either of them, but it was obvious she couldn't go on like this. "How long have you and Ron known you were gay?"  
  
Harry's green eyes widened considerably behind his glasses. "Wha – what are you talking about?"  
  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw the two of you together."  
  
Harry swallowed the enormous lump that had formed in his throat. "When?"  
  
"At the wedding, when you and Ron snuck inside."  
  
"You were spying on us?"   
  
"I wasn't spying," she said, feeling angry that he was trying to make this seem like it was her fault. "Ron said you were going to listen to the Cannons match and I was just coming to bring you both back outside."  
  
Harry stood up and started raking his hands through hair, making it stand up even more than usual. Having Hermione walk in on him and Ron was the absolute last way he had wanted her to find out about them.  
  
"I know what you saw, but it's not what you think," he said when he found his voice again.  
  
"So you and Ron aren't lovers?"  
  
Fuck. This just kept getting worse. "We are, but that's not all there is to it," he said, hoping she would understand and allow him to explain everything.  
  
"How long have you been together like that?"  
  
Harry hung his head. "Since March."  
  
She couldn't believe this. "Harry, it's August! You've been together all that time and you never said anything!"  
  
"Hermione, it's more complicated than that. Things were really bad and everyone kept dying and after Hagrid was killed I just sort of shutdown. Ron was just being a good friend and it got out of hand."  
  
She remembered the way Harry had been after Hagrid had died. He had been so withdrawn and depressed, she and Ron had no idea how to comfort him – except, apparently Ron did. "I'm glad Ron was able to comfort you like that. I guess I was just wasting my time, sitting there and holding your hand, thinking you would talk to me when you were ready."  
  
"That's not true. I needed the both of you," Harry insisted.  
  
"But apparently not as much as you needed Ron," she said, her tone reflecting the hurt and anguish she was feeling. "No wonder you two were so quick to volunteer to share a room so Ginny and I could have our own. It would be a lot more convenient than having to sneak into each other's room every night."  
  
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Ron and I should have told you that things were different between us."  
  
"You're sorry?" She practically shouted. "Harry, I'm your best friend. How could either of you keep something like this from me? I don't even know what to say to you."  
  
"Then at least let me explain – "  
  
"You don't need to explain anything, Harry. I may have my nose stuck in a book most of the time but I know what it means when one man is going down on another man and they're both enjoying it!"  
  
So Harry wouldn't see her crying, she tore from the room and locked herself in the bathroom.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
"Fuck. I can't believe she saw us," Ron said and threw back another shot of Firewhiskey.  
  
"Believe it," Harry said gloomily, from where he sat nursing his own beer.  
  
Harry didn't feel much like going out anywhere after his conversation with Hermione but he knew he had to tell Ron. He wanted to get Ron out of the house before he told him because he had a feeling he would not take the news well – and he hadn't. Ron had downed his third shot of Firewhiskey in the last five minutes. Harry wasn't drinking as enthusiastically because no hangover was going to make him forget the problem they had on their hands.  
  
"I told you to do the bloody locking charm on the door," Ron seethed, "but you couldn't keep your hand off my cock from the second we walked in the house."  
  
"Keep your voice down," Harry said sharply, and glanced around the pub seeing if anyone had overheard Ron. Fortunately, the pub was noisy enough that Ron's voice just got lost in the other conversations going on around them.  
  
"You're paranoid, Harry, no one's going to hear us in here," Ron said to him.  
  
"What if someone walked by?" Their relationship was not something Harry wanted to get out. The Prophet was still all over him for defeating Voldemort almost two months earlier. But all that would be nothing compared to the nightmare his and Ron's life would become if the wizarding media got wind of their relationship.  
  
"How did she take it? Did she sound disgusted by it?" Ron asked.  
  
"No, she didn't sound disgusted by the idea of us together," Harry replied, keeping his voice as low as he could with Ron still being able to hear him. "She was just really hurt and upset we didn't tell her ourselves."  
  
"Did you tell Hermione about our feelings for her?"  
  
"She wouldn't let me get that far."  
  
"So she thinks we're a couple of poofs, then?" Ron said, downing another shot of Firewhiskey.  
  
"We are a couple of poofs."  
  
"No, we're not. We like girls. We've just made an exception for each other," Ron corrected his friend. "Maybe she'll feel better if we tell her we both want her."  
  
"I don't know if that's such a good idea to tell her that right away. She just found out about us together. We should let her adjust to that first before we dump something else on her."  
  
"And then we'll never end up telling her," Ron added. "I'm so sick and tired of pretending I don't care about her like that. I should have said something years ago but I was too much of a coward, and now that the war's over I don't want to waste any more time."  
  
"Fine, tell her," Harry said more harshly than he meant to. But it was hard for him not to be bitter. He had always known it would be a matter of time before Ron and Hermione opened their eyes and he would be left out. No matter what his feelings were for the both of them, he wouldn't interfere once they decided they wanted to be with each other.  
  
After that, they stopped talking about Hermione and Harry quickly downed what was left of his beer before joining Ron in sharing the bottle of Firewhiskey on their table.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
The first thing Ron did when he groggily opened his eyes was clutch his forehead and moan. He didn't even remember how he had gotten home last night, but he was indeed lying in his bed surrounded by his hundreds of Chudley Cannon posters plastered all over his walls and ceiling. On that particular morning, all that orange was bothering his eyes and serving to worsen his throbbing headache.  
  
He gingerly rolled onto his side, seeing Harry in a similar state, except he had actually managed to sit up. Ron didn't think he would be capable of doing that anytime soon.  
  
"I'm never drinking that much again," Harry said, holding his face in his hands.  
  
Ron felt too sick to voice his agreement.  
  
A knock resonated from the other side of the door.  
  
"Shit," Ron muttered and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was almost noon, so it was probably his mother telling them they should get up. He was dead. There was no way she wouldn't be able to tell he was hung over.  
  
"Ron? Harry? It's Hermione."  
  
"Come in," Ron rasped.  
  
Then it all came crashing back to him why he and Harry had drank so much in the first place. She was probably afraid of catching them together again and that was why she hadn't just walked in.  
  
Hermione was careful not to look at either one of them for too long. She handed each of them a cup filled with a murky blue liquid.  
  
"What is this?" Ron asked, finding the strength to sit up.  
  
"I heard you come home last night. I figured you would need this," she said, clearly not in approval of their drinking.  
  
Ron sniffed the contents of the cup cautiously but it was completely odorless.  
  
"You need to drink all of it for it to work."  
  
Ron looked back up to thank her but she was already gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
By the late afternoon Ron decided to confront Hermione and dragged Harry with him, who preferred to leave things be as opposed to dealing with them.  
  
Ron was tired but he felt a million times better than when he had woken up. His headache was gone and he didn't feel like he needed to throw up anymore. Who would have thought Hermione would know how to make a hangover potion? But he was sure it would be a cold day in Azkaban before she handed another one over so easily.  
  
They found her sitting in the backyard reading. She didn't look up until they were both standing in front of her.  
  
"Can we talk to you?" Ron asked, deciding there wasn't going to be an easy way to do this.  
  
"Okay," she answered, and marked her place in her book.  
  
"Can we talk away from The Burrow?" He didn't fancy his sister or mother overhearing what they needed to discuss.  
  
Hermione looked less sure about this but she left her book on the chair, picked up her jacket and walked with them.  
  
Ron made them walk until the shelter of trees closely knitted together covered them and they could no longer see The Burrow.  
  
Hermione was standing back against a tree, but even now she still wouldn't meet their eyes.  
  
Ron hadn't rehearsed what he was going to say to her and because of that the three of them were standing there in awkward silence. Hermione was the articulate one. He was completely rubbish when it came to things like this. Fearing he was just going to make an even bigger mess of things, he decided action was the best way to get across what he couldn't say in words.  
  
Without warning, he pressed his lips to Hermione's. He felt her immediately tense up but when he didn't pull away she relaxed. He took the kiss further, easing his tongue into her mouth, and was caught off guard when she pushed her tongue against his.   
  
"Ron, wha – " Harry couldn't finish his thought. He wasn't expecting Ron to be this bold. He thought they were just coming out there to talk, but apparently Ron had other ideas and now he was watching the two of them snog right in front of him.  
  
Ron couldn't believe this was his first time kissing her when he had been dreaming about doing it since he was thirteen. It was great being with Harry but he had wanted Hermione for so long, it almost hurt to break the kiss and pull away from her. But he had to. They needed to sort some things out first.  
  
"Wha – what was that?" Hermione said, her features flushed. "I thought –"  
  
"That me and Harry were involved?" Ron supplied and Hermione could only nod her head in response. "We are, but like Harry was trying to explain to you yesterday but you wouldn't let him, we both want to be with you too."  
  
"You do?" She said, suddenly feeling very lightheaded. She looked over at Harry who was nodding his agreement with what Ron had just said.  
  
"We don't fancy other blokes," Ron continued. "We have a thing with each other but you're the one we want."  
  
Hermione didn't know what to say so she said nothing. Her mind was blank but at the same time it was running wild trying to absorb everything Ron had just said.  
  
Ron couldn't help but be amused that Hermione was so stunned she was speechless. Her clever articulation was nowhere to be found then.  
  
Since she had not voiced any objections yet, Ron leaned in to kiss her again. This time she was much more receptive. She laced her fingers through the back of his neck as they exchanged their second open-mouthed kiss.  
  
After a few seconds, Ron pulled back from Hermione's lips to say, "what are you doing, Harry?"  
  
"Nothing," Harry grumbled, annoyed at having to watch them snog again.  
  
"And that's the problem," Ron said, turning his head to look back at him. "Get over here."  
  
Harry remained where he was. This was their private moment and he wasn't going to intrude. But then Hermione was giving him this inviting look he was torn as to what to do.  
  
"Listen to Ron, Harry," she said to him.  
  
His indecision melted after that. He went over to his friends and without having to say a word, Hermione released her hold on Ron and brought Harry's face down to hers, meeting his lips in a deep passionate kiss.  
  
When Harry and Hermione finally pulled away from each other, Ron couldn't resist leaning close to Hermione's ear and saying in a low, husky voice, "do you know how many times Harry and I have thought about you when we're together?"  
  
She couldn't even begin to formulate a reply because she felt Harry's hand touch her leg just below her shorts. She whimpered at his feathery light caresses.  
  
"Do you know how many hard on's we've had to take care of when you wear these?" Harry said, sliding his hand up underneath her shorts.  
  
After that comment, it was impossible for Hermione not to feel their erections digging into either side of her.  
  
"Tell us what you want, Hermione," said Ron, kissing his way along her jaw.  
  
"I don't know," she said, her eyes fluttering shut.  
  
Ron smirked. "That doesn't sound like the bossy, know-it-all Harry and I love."  
  
Hermione made a decision before the boys could make one for her. "Don't take anything off in case someone comes looking for us."  
  
Harry and Ron nodded their agreement. There would be plenty of opportunities for them to do other things.  
  
Harry removed his hand from her thigh and started unbuttoning her shorts.  
  
"Harry," she said warningly, or as warningly as she could with Ron positioning himself behind her.  
  
"You said not to take anything off and I'm not. I'm just undoing a few buttons," he said cheekily.  
  
"Very sneaky, Harry," she said smiling at him. "I'll just have to make myself clearer next time."  
  
When Harry finished with the last button, he slipped his hand inside, rubbing her pussy through the fabric of her knickers. Hermione cried out bucking against his hand before arching back into Ron, who groaned as her arse grinded back against his erection.  
  
As Harry continued to massage the front of her knickers, Ron reached around to gently cup her breasts through her t-shirt. She pressed herself harder against him when he did this.  
  
"Ron," she moaned when he started rubbing his fingers over her nipples. She temporarily forgot about Ron's ministrations when Harry slid his hand inside her knickers, working his fingers through her folds. "Oh god, Harry!" She cried out and bucked much harder against his hand than before.  
  
Ron couldn't stand it anymore. His trousers were so tight from his straining cock it hurt. He might not be able to remove any clothing but he could improvise just like Harry. He released his hold on Hermione's breasts and gripped her hips. Then he started to rock against her, pushing as much of himself against her as he could. It was just like he was fucking her from behind except they both had their clothes on. Ron's head rolled back at the friction of feeling her backside rubbing against the front of his trousers. He sped up his rhythm, grinding his hips against hers faster than before. The front of his trousers were soaked with his pre-cum, but that didn't even register as a concern in Ron's mind. He could clean himself up afterwards.  
  
Hermione was bucking wildly between Harry's hand and Ron's hips. She couldn't form a coherent thought if her life depended on it. Harry was driving her into a frenzy with just his fingers alone. She wished now she hadn't made that rule of not removing any clothing. If it felt this good being sandwiched between them with their clothes on, what would it feel like with them off?  
  
Hermione was so close now all Harry had to do was rub his thumb over her clit with one hard stroke and she came, climaxing all over his hand. Harry felt his own cock explode when that happened. It had been beyond arousing watching Hermione throw her head back and just let go, giving in to the waves of pleasure washing over her.  
  
Ron was already nearing his own orgasm when Hermione reached hers. Hearing her wanton cries was enough to bring him off. Like Harry, he came in his trousers, but it had been more than worth it. One look at Harry and he knew his friend felt the same way.  
  
Though Ron would have liked nothing more than to stay that way with Hermione resting against him after she came down from the throws of her orgasm, it was sticky and uncomfortable and he needed to clean himself up.  
  
He had a problem now. One that he hadn't even thought of before then. He and Harry had never thought to bring their wands out with them. But like always, Hermione came to the rescue. She took out her wand from her jacket that was on the ground. She used it on herself first before aiming it at Ron.  
  
"Honestly, you would think I've never used a wand before," she said, noticing the way Ron closed his eyes when she pointed it at his crouch.  
  
"It's not that I don't trust you – "   
  
Hermione said Scourgify before he could finish the thought. He glanced down, seeing his pants once again dry, inside and out, and all his bits still in place.  
  
"What would we do without you?" Harry said after she did the same to him.  
  
"I try not to think about," she said, smiling at him.  
  
"So how was that?" Ron asked her.  
  
Her cheeks turned a dark crimson. "It was good."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Just good?"  
  
She couldn't tell them it had been the most amazing experience in her life. She wanted to but she felt embarrassed. Her face turned another shade darker when she thought about the things she had let them do to her – and at the same time no less.  
  
"We'll take your silence as confirmation that it was better than good," said Harry, giving her a quick kiss.  
  
"We should probably go back now," she said when Harry's lips left hers.  
  
Ron glanced at his watch. "Yeah, mum will probably come looking for us for dinner soon."  
  
They all felt a little awkward on the walk back, but Ron figured it was to be expected after what they had just shared. Though he hoped it wouldn't last.  
  
It didn't escape Ron that he had been able to patch things up with Hermione without an apology.


	3. Chapter Three

Hermione came home to The Burrow after work to find Ron in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, eating the plate of dinner his mother left him.

"Mum had to go out but she left you a plate too," Ron said after swallowing a mouthful of roast beef.  
  
Mrs. Weasley had left a warming charm on the plate so it was still hot. Hermione was eyeing the roast beef dinner when she felt Ron come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist.  
  
"Don't worry, nobody's home," he said, knowing what she had been about to stay.  
  
"What about Harry?"  
  
"He went to look at flats with Lupin," he said, nuzzling the back of her neck.  
  
This was still all new to her, so much so she had a hard time believing she was standing in the Weasley's kitchen with Ron's arms around her. She had wanted to be like this with Ron for so long. It was amazing how everything had changed in just a few short days.  
  
With all the overtime she had been putting in at the Ministry, they had not had another chance to get together since that afternoon out beyond The Burrow. They hadn't talked about what happened either and she thought if she came home early enough tonight they could discuss it and how they planned to proceed with this relationship.  
  
"How come you didn't go with them?"  
  
She felt him shrug. "I think it's good for Harry and Lupin to spend time together."  
  
She agreed with him. Harry and Lupin had been close since he had come to teach at Hogwarts in their third year. With Sirius gone, Lupin was not only the last living link Harry had to his parents, but he was also the closest thing Harry would ever have to a father.  
  
"That was a nice thing you did," she said turning around in his arms.  
  
"See, I can be a nice guy."  
  
"I never said you couldn't."  
  
Rather than continue this back and forth banter, which from experience told Ron it would likely lead to a row of sorts, he tilted Hermione's chin up and brushed his lips against hers.  
  
"I've been waiting three days to do that," he murmured, his face still close to hers.  
  
Feeling mischievous, she said, "Is that all you've been waiting for?"  
  
"Not even close," he said with a lopsided grin. He lowered his head and started kissing and sucking on her neck. It didn't even cross her mind to tell him not to leave a mark. She let her fingers run through his hair as he was doing this, when unexpectedly Ron stopped what he was doing and picked her up.  
  
"Ron, what are you doing?" She cried, wishing he would put her down.  
  
He sat her down on the counter top, saying, "getting you into a better position."  
  
He covered her hands on the counter with his own and hungrily attacked her lips, teasing and nipping at her lower lip.  
  
Though up until three days ago Hermione had relatively no experience when it came to kissing or anything else, she had caught on quickly. She was a fast learner after all and not just in the academic area either. She trailed kisses across Ron's jaw line before ending up at his mouth again, where they exchanged another long, tongue thrusting kiss.  
  
Ron moved his hands off hers and helped her to shake off her robes before tossing them uselessly to the floor.  
  
"You're lucky tomorrow's Saturday and I don't need them," she murmured in between kisses.  
  
"Yeah, I am lucky," he said, resting his hands on the bottom of her blouse. "Can I?" He asked her.  
  
"Okay," she said softly.  
  
With hands that were a lot less steadier than when they had been together outside, he started unbuttoning her shirt from the bottom up. When he reached the last three remaining buttons, he looked up at her face to make sure it was okay for him to keep going. When she nodded, he undid them.  
  
She had a very simple white cotton bra on and Ron could see her hardened nipples poking through it. Though he had touched them yesterday through her shirt, it felt more intimate cupping them through her bra, knowing that this thin material was the only barrier left separating her breasts from his hands.  
  
"Is this okay?" He asked her, realizing he hadn't asked that the last time.  
  
"Mmm... yes," she moaned softly. "You can squeeze them harder if you want."  
  
It was hard for Ron's cock not to grow harder after that. With all the little whimpering noises Hermione was making it was impossible not to get an erection.  
  
Though he and Harry had shagged and messed around enough times, it was his first time doing this with a girl. There were very obvious differences between the two, one of the most noticeable being Hermione had breasts and as he worked his thumbs over her nipples he could see they were much more sensitive than either his or Harry's.  
  
"I want to see you," he said in a hoarse voice.  
  
She nodded, knowing what he was asking of her.  
  
Ron didn't know if it was because she was nervous or she assumed he would struggle to get it undone, but she reached underneath her shirt and undid the clasp.  
  
When she moved her hands away, Ron pushed down the straps. It was difficult to take off with her shirt still on, so he just pushed it down far enough so he could see them.  
  
She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the way he was scrutinizing them, or worse was thinking they were too small and unattractive.  
  
"Open your eyes, Hermione," he said in a low voice.  
  
She reluctantly did so, somewhat surprised to find Ron's eyes trained on hers rather than her chest.  
  
"They're beautiful," he said, squeezing the mounds of flesh in his hands. "Just like you." They were better than he imagined. None of the hundreds of fantasies he'd had about her did justice to the sight before him. Her breasts were flushed like the rest of her skin and fit perfectly into his hands. Now that her bra was off, he was kneading them more roughly than before.  
  
When she arched her neck back, moaning, he moved his lips down across her throat and collarbone. Without a second thought, he took one of her breasts into his mouth.  
  
"Ron!" She cried out, almost arching off the counter completely when he did that. It felt even better than when he had used his hands. She needed something to hold on to, so she fisted her fingers in his hair, encouraging his movements.  
  
Ron's cock was digging painfully into the counter but he didn't stop. When he stopped lavishing one breast he moved onto the next one. He took her nipple between his teeth and she cried out much louder than before.  
  
"Harry!" She gasped out.  
  
Ron immediately let go of her breast, his hard on dying a little. Yes, the three of them were in this together, but for her to call out another bloke's name, even if it was Harry's while he was doing this, made him angry.  
  
But when Hermione was scrambling to close her shirt, he turned around and noticed Harry standing by the door. Any thoughts Ron had of asking Harry to join them died in his throat when he saw the set of his friend's jaw and the blazing fury behind his eyes.  
  
Without a word to either of them, Harry marched up the stairs.  
  
Hermione hopped down off the counter and hurried to fix her bra and do up her shirt. Then she climbed up the stairs after Harry, with Ron following after her.  
  
Harry was sitting on his bed, with his feet firmly planted on the floor, facing the opposite wall.  
  
Hermione figured he hadn't bothered to close the door because he knew they would come up after him. He could have used a locking charm but he looked too angry to do magic.  
  
She sat down on Ron's bed directly in front of, while Ron preferred to stand.  
  
"We were just fooling around, Harry," Ron said, not understanding what he was so upset about.  
  
"If I had come home ten minutes later I would have walked in on the two of you shagging," Harry said, angrily.  
  
"We wouldn't have let it go that far," said Hermione, and Ron tried not to look too disappointed when she said that.  
  
Harry didn't look like he believed her, and although she was sitting directly in front of him he was looking anywhere but at her or Ron.  
  
She decided to try a different approach. "I know we haven't talked about how this is going to work  "  
  
"It's not," Harry snapped, causing his friends to exchange a look. "I know the two of you would rather just be with each other. I won't get in the way.  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. How many times had he had a similar conversation like this with Harry, who would try to be noble and sacrifice his own happiness? "I don't even know why I'd want Hermione when I've had a girl of my own for the last six months. You're such a fucking drama queen, Harry."  
  
Harry was only just able to restrain himself from throwing his fist at Ron's face and seeing what would become of it.  
  
Hermione shot Ron a scolding look. "Ron, that's not helping." That was all she needed was for the two of them to try and solve this thing with their fists. "Harry, how could you possibly know what either one of us want when we haven't even discussed what exactly it is we're doing?"  
  
"I'm not blind, Hermione. All this bickering and rowing you do, its just unresolved sexual tension. You and Ron may have a volatile relationship, but it just adds to the connection you have. There's a chemistry between you two that I can't touch."  
  
That was insightful. Though if anyone knew that, it would be Harry who had spent the last seven years watching them together. She had always known most of their arguments had a deeper meaning to them, and Harry had interpreted that to be sexual tension  and he was probably right. "I know Ron and I have a certain volatility to our relationship," she began, "but just because our feelings have always been obvious and carry a certain degree of passion, doesn't mean I don't connect with you, Harry. It's just in other ways, but it's every bit as strong as what I have with Ron."  
  
Harry wanted to believe her, but it was hard not to have some doubts. They finally had each other, so why would either of them still want him?  
  
"I think this would be a good time for us to talk about how this is going to work," Hermione said to them. They needed to set some ground rules. If Harry had reacted this bad to seeing her with Ron, would Ron act the same way if she was alone with Harry? If that was the case she wouldn't be able to deal with it on a constant basis. "I know the two of you were involved before I came into this, so I'm fine with you both just being with each other when you want to."  
  
"You're sure?" Said Ron.  
  
"Yes," she replied, nodding. "I know I reacted badly when I first found out but that was only because you had kept your relationship from me. I also think it may be healthier for us to sometimes to split into couples and get away from the intensity the three of us have together."  
  
"So you want to be with Ron and me separately as well?" Harry said.  
  
"Is that going to be a problem?" She asked him. They needed to get all their concerns out in the open now.  
  
"No, it won't," Harry answered and was surprised that he meant it. That earned him a warm smile from Hermione.  
  
"But for the most part you want to be with the both of us, right?" Ron questioned her. Now he was starting to know how Harry had felt walking in on them. He didn't want to be left out.  
  
"Yes, for the most part the three of us will be together," she responded. "That goes for you and Harry as well. You can be with each other while you're with me," she finished, blushing a little.  
  
Ron couldn't get over how he had agreed with everything Hermione had just said. He wondered what would have happened if they had started this while they were still in school. Would she have so readily agreed to be with the both of them?  
  
"I don't think we should tell anyone about this. It's not that I'm ashamed of being with either one of you," Harry quickly added. "I just don't want the Daily Prophet finding out and putting pictures of us all over the front page because of who we are." Harry may have always received a lot of attention from the wizarding media, but during the last year Hermione and Ron had also achieved a certain level of recognition.  
  
"Agreed," said Hermione. She knew for a fact her parents would disapprove and it would be better if they could develop things without worrying about outside interference.  
  
"We're all okay with everything then?" Ron said.  
  
Hermione looked at Harry, who was nodding and smiling at them for the first time that night.  
  
Everything was definitely better than okay.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Harry had barely made it through the kitchen doorway for breakfast the next morning, when Ron jumped in front of him waving a letter in front of his face.  
  
"Harry, open it," Ron said, with barely contained joy.  
  
"What is it?" Harry said, still half asleep. It must have been important because Ron was never this happy in the morning.  
  
"It's from Puddlemere United!" Ron all but shouted, causing Harry to wince. "It's got the official team seal on it and everything."  
  
Harry took it from him and slid into a chair at the table. Hermione was beside him reading the Daily Prophet and Mrs. Weasley was getting his breakfast ready.  
  
"Aren't you going to open it?" Ron said, when his mother put a plate of sausages and eggs in front of Harry.  
  
"For goodness sakes, Ron, let Harry wake up first," His mother scolded him. "The letter isn't going anywhere."  
  
Ron flung himself down into a chair. How could Harry not be excited? Professional Quidditch teams didn't send out letters for no reason. This was huge. They probably wanted Harry to try out.  
  
Ron kept giving him these anxious looks, so Harry gave up on his breakfast and opened the envelope. It was a one-page letter from Oliver Wood. His expression was unreadable as he read it.  
  
"Well?" Ron prompted when he was done.  
  
Both Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were now looking at him as well.  
  
"It's from Oliver Wood. He's the Captain of Puddlemere United," he added for Hermione and Mrs. Weasley's benefit. "He said their Seeker is having some injury problems and he wants to talk to me about trying out."  
  
"That's brilliant, Harry!" Said Ron, his eyes lighting up. "I knew once Wood made Captain he'd try to recruit you. He's mentioned you enough times in all those Quidditch Today interviews."  
  
"Harry, that's wonderful news," Mrs. Weasley, said beaming at him.  
  
Hermione gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Are you going to do it?"  
  
"I might as well meet with Oliver, otherwise The Burrow is going to be overrun with owls. They're on a road trip right now and won't be back until the second week of September, so he wants to meet then."  
  
"Harry, this is the opportunity of a lifetime," said Ron unnecessarily.  
  
"Yes, it is," Mrs. Weasley agreed. "And when do you plan on finding a similar one?"  
  
Ron slouched in his chair. Now that Bill and Fleur's wedding was over with, she was going to start nagging him about finding a job again. "I'm looking, mum," he lied. Couldn't his mother understand that he wasn't Hermione and was enjoying having the summer off with no homework and no life threatening dangers?  
  
"It's going to be the first of September next week," His mother reminded him. "How long do you plan on sitting around here doing nothing?"  
  
"They're still looking for someone to fill an entry level position in the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Hermione said helpfully.  
  
She had told Ron about that job a month ago but he figured they would go with someone much more qualified so had never bothered to apply. "They're looking for someone who will have better than average N.E.W.T. marks."  
  
"Ron, they don't hire solely based on academic merit," she told him. "You need to have a solid understanding of Quidditch and all the teams. I don't think there's anyone more qualified for that job than you."  
  
Ron's ears turned red at her compliment. If she really thought he had a chance at it, maybe he should apply for it after all.  
  
That got his mother off his back about finding a job, at least for the moment because she left them to do some work in the garden.  
  
"Lupin and I found a nice place yesterday," Harry said when Mrs. Weasley was gone. "We could go have a look at it later today if you want."  
  
Hermione noticed he was looking at her as well. "Why are you looking at me?"  
  
"It's a three bedroom flat," he explained.  
  
"That's a bit presumptuous, Harry," she said, failing to suppress a grin.  
  
"I know it was just going to be me and Ron, and you were going to move back with your parents, but I thought maybe you might want to live with us too."  
  
"My parents would never go for that," she said to him.  
  
"Why not? Hermione, you're almost nineteen. I think you're old enough to decide where you want to live and with who," said Ron.  
  
She didn't explain that it was different with girls. Mrs. Weasley hadn't given Ron a hard time about wanting to move out with Harry, but she was sure she would be acting much differently when Ginny decided to leave The Burrow. Since the youngest Weasley only had one year of school left it could happen as soon as a year from now.  
  
"They won't like you living with two blokes, is that it?" Ron asked her.  
  
"Yes, that's part of it," she said nodding. "They know you're both my best friends but I still don't think they'd approve of the idea of all three of us living together."  
  
"Just think about it," Harry said to her. "I don't have to give an answer until next Thursday."  
  
She would do nothing but think about it for the next five days.


	4. Chapter Four

Hermione had just gone into the boys' room to say goodnight, nothing more. She had work in the morning after all and it was already nearing eleven o'clock. But Harry and Ron weren't interested in a simple goodnight and she found it difficult to protest their actions when she felt Harry's hands sliding up her stomach and underneath her shirt.  
  
Now she was sitting on Harry's lap, grinding herself into his crotch with their underwear being the only thing separating the lower part of their bodies. While she was humping Harry's lap, Ron was lying down beside them and she was rubbing his dick through his boxers.  
  
It was both wonderful and frustrating moving on Harry like this. Frustrating because it wasn't enough, and she knew if it felt like this for her then the boys were well beyond that point. Harry's rock hard cock kept rubbing against her knickers and she could feel Ron in a similar state in her hand.  
  
"Harry, stop," she breathed.  
  
Harry could hardly stop his hips from moving under hers. He thought he would die if she told him she was leaving to go to bed.  
  
"Take off your boxers. You too, Ron."  
  
Harry and Ron were too horny to do anything but obey. She hadn't seen them starkers yet, but after seeing them fully erect in their boxers it left little to the imagination.  
  
"That's the look you get when you're studying a book," said Ron, interpreting her gaze. "Are Harry and me that interesting?"  
  
They were far more than just interesting. She had never seen a man's cock before but from all the years of having to listen to Lavender and Parvati giggle about the packages certain boys in Hogwarts were known to be endowed with, Harry and Ron were what the girls would call above average.  
  
Instead of answering Ron's question, she wrapped her hands around both their erections. The boys groaned loudly and she was never more grateful to have the silencing charm around the room.  
  
"They're hot," she said, stroking their pulsating shafts.  
  
"Yes," was all an answer Harry could manage.  
  
"Am I doing this right?"  
  
"Fuck, yes," Ron rasped, his hips arching off the bed.  
  
Experimentally, she rubbed her thumbs over the swollen purplish heads, spreading the pre-cum that was there.  
  
"Oh god, just like that," Harry gasped, bucking towards her hand.  
  
She was studious by nature, so she watched both their faces, seeing how they reacted to the different things she did with her hand. They both let out guttural groans when she squeezed the base of their cocks hard and then they begged for more when she would just lightly tug at them. When she scratched her fingernails along the underside of their cocks, they both exploded in her hands. She was intrigued by how much sperm they both shot out and wondered if this happened all the time.  
  
"Was that good?" She asked them, letting go of their now soft cocks.  
  
"Good?" Harry said, his breathing still ragged. "Maybe you can give Ron a few pointers."  
  
"Wanker," Ron growled and moved onto his side to give Harry a bruising kiss for that remark. When he pulled away and looked at Hermione, he said, "I'm definitely never doing that myself again."  
  
She blushed, even though they were far beyond the point of embarrassment. That didn't stop her face from turning even redder when Ron spoke again.  
  
"I think we're going to have to take care of you now," he said, noticing the dark wet patch on the front of her knickers.  
  
It was amazing how fast they could move. One second, they were lying lazily on the bed, and the next they had her flat on her back with both of them leaning over her. Harry and Ron exchanged conspiratorial grins before they each took a breast in their mouths.  
  
She didn't even care that they had completely skipped her mouth to start on her breasts. It had been enough to drive her into a frenzy when just Ron had done it, but feeling two sets of mouths, each suckling her in different ways was almost too much.  
  
She felt the loss immediately when one of them released their hold on her breast. She looked down to see Ron scooting down the bed, not stopping until he was down by her ankles. She didn't even need to ask what he was going to do. He was going to do what he said before and take care of her.  
  
Ron slid off her knickers, before spreading her legs and getting between them. He could already see her eyed screwed shut in anticipation. He darted his tongue out, licking her sweet wetness for the first time. Hermione let out a lustful cry and bucked towards his face. Ron gave her a few more teasing licks, enjoying the frustrated look playing across her face because she wanted more. Ron gave her more, burying his face in her pussy and lapping at her folds.  
  
Hermione would have screamed if Harry hadn't chosen that moment to press his mouth over top of hers, kissing her deeply while his hands continued to explore her breasts. He lazily rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger until she pleaded with him to do it harder.  
  
"Like this?" Harry said, his voice low and husky near her ear.  
  
She could only frantically nod her head.  
  
He trailed kisses all the way down her chest, kissing his way across each of her breasts before taking one of them in his mouth again. He remembered Ron telling him how much she had liked it when he had used his teeth, so he gently bit down on one of her nipples.  
  
She was already beside herself with lust and Harry pushed her that much closer to the edge by biting and sucking on her nipples. He must have been expecting her response because he laid his hand flat on her stomach to keep her from arching off the bed too much.  
  
Hermione was already leaking her juices all over Ron's face, but he didn't stop thrusting his tongue into her cunt and against her clit. When he decided to use his teeth over her clit that was all he needed to bring Hermione to orgasm. She climaxed hard, bucking wildly against his face. Ron kept his face where it was, lapping up all of her juices until she stopped cumming and lay still on the bed.  
  
Harry shoved his mouth against Ron's, tasting Hermione on him as he thrust his tongue deep into his mouth.  
  
"How was it?" Harry asked when they pulled apart.  
  
"Brilliant, except my tongue cramped up a bit. But Bill told me that would happen."  
  
"Bill told you how to do that?" Hermione exclaimed, from where she was lying down.  
  
"I have five older brothers. They've taught me loads of stuff. Of course most of it I've never been able to use before now," he finished, his ears reddening.  
  
Hermione arched an amused eyebrow. "Most of it?"  
  
Both boys faces flushed but they didn't care to elaborate on the activities they had done together.  
  
Hermione eyed their crotches. "I see you both have worked yourself up into a frenzy again."  
  
"It's what you do to us," said Harry, running his hand over her stomach.  
  
"Did you want to shag?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Wait, what about protection?" Ron asked.  
  
"I'm already taking a contraceptive potion," she answered.  
  
Ron's eyes narrowed. "Just who have you been planning on shagging?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. They weren't going to fight about this too, were they? "I wasn't planning on shagging anybody, but it's always good to be prepared."  
  
Leave it to Hermione to be prepared for anything. Harry noted with some relief that Ron seemed to accept that answer. Harry had been secretly dreading Ron would bring up Viktor Krum, which would have led to Hermione storming out of their bedroom.  
  
Even if Ron hadn't been a randy eighteen-year-old male, there was no way he would turn down a naked woman laying in his bed.  
  
"Are you sure?" Harry asked her. He badly wanted to but he didn't want her to think that's all he and Ron were after. They had all waited a long time for this, so they didn't need to rush into anything they were going to regret.  
  
"I'm sure," she said, stroking his face.  
  
"Good one, mate, playing the sensitive card," Ron said jokingly.  
  
"Just for that, you can watch me and Harry do it first," she said to him.  
  
Ron looked crestfallen and Harry figured it had more to do with how he would get to be with Hermione first than actually having to wait his turn.  
  
"You can go first, Ron," Harry said.  
  
"Really?" Ron said, his mood greatly improving.  
  
"Harry, you don't have to," Hermione said, knowing why he was doing this.  
  
"No, Ron should be your first. Ron's been waiting for this a lot longer than I have. I was too caught up in other girls until a year ago."  
  
"I'm glad you finally came around," she said, leaning up and kissing him.  
  
Harry pulled back after a moment saying, "I don't think we should keep him waiting any longer. You know how impatient Weasley's are."  
  
Ron was offended. "Hey, that's  "  
  
"Shut up and get over here," Hermione said in a commanding voice.  
  
Ron knew that tone of voice all too well, except it was being used in an entirely different context now. Instead of her using it to berate him for leaving his homework until the last minute, she was using it to tell him that she wanted him to fuck her.  
  
"I always knew you liked her bossing you around," Harry said cheekily as Ron moved himself closer to Hermione on the bed.  
  
"Keep saying things like that and I won't let you get a turn," Ron retorted.  
  
"I don't think you're in any position to make that decision  Ron!" She dug her head further into the pillow as Ron's fingers moved over her slick folds.  
  
Ron had done that as much to shut her up as to get her ready for him. Bill and Charlie had both told him the first time for a girl was painful. There was no way to get around the pain, but they both said it would go better if the girl in question was relaxed and comfortable.  
  
Hermione was anything but relaxed when he slipped a finger inside of her. It was erotic watching her write and moan and knowing he was the one who was causing it.  
  
"Ron, please," she moaned. "I want you inside of me."  
  
That was all Ron needed to hear. He removed his finger from her depths and moved overtop of her. The head of his cock was just brushing against her entrance and already that felt incredible. If it just that felt that good, what would it feel like once he was inside of her?  
  
Having shagged Harry didn't help him at all in this situation. It took a bit of effort, but once Hermione used her hand to help guide him to her entrance and he slid into her, it was better than he could have imagined. He clutched the bed sheets with his fists. That was the only thing that kept him from pounding into Hermione right then and there. He was trying to let her adjust to his size but he couldn't help moving his hips a little.  
  
"It's okay, Ron, move," she said after a few seconds.  
  
He did, giving her little strokes before speeding up his rhythm. It wasn't long before he was coming up against a barrier that wouldn't allow him to go any deeper.  
  
"It's going to hurt," he said to her.  
  
"I know," she said, sounding a little scared.  
  
Wishing he didn't have to do this but knowing there was no way around it, Ron thrust hard into her, breaking her hymen. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut like she was in pain, but Harry was there by her side, kissing her face.  
  
Ron found himself again in that impossible situation of trying not to move. Hermione was in pain and all he could think of was how good it felt being inside her and feeling her surrounding his cock.  
  
Hermione opened her eyes, appreciating how little Ron was trying to move inside of her, even when the way he was biting down on his lip told her how much it was killing him to do nothing. The pain was still there but she didn't want him to suffer any longer.  
  
"You can move," she told him. "Just go slow, okay?"  
  
Ron nodded and started moving in an out of her slowly like she had asked him. He tried to stay like that but couldn't help himself from speeding up and thrusting into her a little harder. His fingers were fisted in the bed sheets once again when he felt his cock tightening inside of her and knew it wouldn't be long now.  
  
A few more thrusts was all Ron managed before his dick tensed up completely and he climaxed inside of her. He couldn't remember the last time he had orgasmed that hard.  
  
He pulled out of Hermione and fell back on the bed beside her panting.  
  
"I'm sorry. You didn't  "  
  
"No."  
  
Fuck. He had been so caught up in his own pleasure he had forgotten his brothers advice that the sex alone often wasn't enough to help a woman reach orgasm.  
  
"It's okay," she said, lightly kissing him on the lips. With everything she had read on the subject of sex, she had not expected to climax during her first time.  
  
"How do you feel?" Harry asked from her other side.  
  
"A little sore," she admitted.  
  
"Do you still want to  ?"  
  
She nodded. "I just need to rest a few moments."  
  
When Hermione was ready again, Harry got on top of her much the same way Ron had. After a couple of failed attempts he was able to find his way inside her on his own. They groaned in unison, but Harry didn't know if hers was a groan of pleasure or pain. Like Ron, he tried to keep himself steady above her but after several seconds went by he felt Hermione pushing her hips up into him.  
  
"Hermione," he moaned. It was incredible feeling her pushing up on his cock, taking him deeper.  
  
"Harry, move," she pleaded from beneath him.  
  
Harry probably wasn't moving as slow as he should have but after watching her and Ron shag, he was aching for release. He was only barely able to hold himself back from slamming into her as hard and deep as he could. Hermione didn't tell him to slow down, so he kept at his current pace of sliding in and out of her.  
  
Then Harry felt Ron press up behind him and start to finger Hermione's clit, making her moan much louder now. It wasn't long before Ron was rock hard again with his erection digging into Harry's back.  
  
Harry tried to make himself last until Hermione came but it was too much with Ron pressing behind him and Hermione starting to clench her muscles around his cock. He kept thrusting inside her until he went soft and slipped out of her.  
  
With Harry out of the way, Ron sped up his movements, rubbing her cunt harder than before. She had already been nearing the edge when Harry pulled out of her, that Ron's fingers didn't have to work for much longer before she was cumming all over his hand.  
  
Harry propped himself up on one elbow. "Was it better this time?"  
  
"A little," she said, hoping Ron wouldn't be offended. "I don't think I can take anymore tonight though."  
  
Harry trailed his lips down over her throat. "Yeah, we worked you pretty hard," he murmured.  
  
"Speaking of hard," she said, glancing over at Ron, seeing he had another massive erection. "I'm sorry, Ron, but I'm too tired to do anything else."  
  
"That's okay. Harry will take care of me, won't he?" Ron said to Harry.  
  
"After the way you were telling me I wouldn't get a turn I should let you take care of that yourself," Harry responded.  
  
"Like Hermione would have let that happen," said Ron, scooting closer to Harry on the bed. He brought his mouth down onto Harry's before he could come up with a response. What Ron really wanted to do was flip Harry onto his stomach and fuck him senseless, but this was Hermione's first time watching them together and he thought maybe they should work up to that. He settled for grasping Harry's shaft and pumping him until he was hard again.  
  
Ron straddled Harry's waist, the two them crying out at the feel of throbbing cocks rubbing against each other. Grasping Harry's hips, Ron started grinding himself into Harry, pushing him deeper into the mattress.  
  
While Ron was riding him, Harry wrapped his hand around both their cocks, rubbing them together.  
  
"Holy fuck, Harry," Ron gasped out. Even after months of this, Ron couldn't get over how good it felt to have his dick pressing against Harry's. The feeling was intensified when Harry let go of their cocks to grab Ron's arse and push him down onto him even more.  
  
Harry's eyes rolled back into his head as they continued to grind their pelvises together. Neither one of them ever lasted this long when they did it like this, and this time was no different. Ron came first, shooting his load all over Harry's stomach. Harry orgasmed shortly after, bucking his hips up to Ron's until he was completely spent.  
  
Ron collapsed half on Harry and half on the bed. Now he was starting to feel a bit worn out but was sure he was still in better shape than Hermione. He rolled off of Harry and onto his side. She was watching him with intense eyes.  
  
"Enjoy the show?" He said with a smirk.  
  
"I wasn't expecting it to be that, um, intense," she said, blushing a little. After watching the two of them if she had not been so sore she would have wanted to shag again.  
  
"Harry's a very intense person," Ron remarked, as Harry latched on to the side of his neck.  
  
"I think we're all going to enjoy living together," she said suddenly.  
  
Harry stopped nipping at Ron's neck to look at her. "You really want to?"  
  
She nodded. She'd been going over it in head for the last two days but it wasn't until that moment when she came to her decision.  
  
"What about your parents?" Ron asked her.  
  
"I'll figure out a way to explain it to them."  
  
"I know you'll come up with some long-winded boring excuse that they'll buy," said Ron confidently.  
  
Hermione didn't think it would be that easy, but when Ron's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to him, she knew she would find a way to make her parents understand even if she couldn't tell them her real reasons for wanting to live with Harry and Ron.


	5. Chapter Five

Though he had been invited by Oliver Wood, Harry still felt out of place standing on the practice pitch that was home to Puddlemere United. It was no larger than the pitch at Hogwarts he was used to playing on, and instead of there being stands there was only a few rows of benches on either side. The center of the pitch was blue bearing the Puddlemere symbol of two crossed golden bulrushes.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
Harry didn't even have to turn around to know it was Oliver Wood's voice calling his name. He doubted he would ever forget Wood's voice, along with anyone else who had ever met the Puddlemere United Keeper. At twenty-two, Wood was the youngest captain in the British league and the youngest one in Puddlemere's history.  
  
Wood clasped him on the shoulder and shook his hand. "It's good to see you."  
  
Harry grinned at him in greeting. "My friend Ron Weasley didn't seem nearly as surprised as I did when you owled."  
  
"I would have owled you back when the season first started but you were still in school and you had more important things to deal with."  
  
That was a shock. Harry never thought he would hear Oliver Wood admit there was something more important than Quidditch, but he supposed Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters could cause that change in attitude.  
  
"I'm glad you decided to come out here," Wood continued. "You haven't had offers from any other teams, have you?"  
  
Harry shook his head and Wood looked stunned.  
  
"Well, that's their loss," he said grinning at Harry. "The Puddlemere scouts have been to every one of your games the last two years. They're more than impressed with your abilities as Seeker and your tenacity to do whatever it takes to win. That's why they allowed me to write you. See, I've been pestering management since I made Captain last year for them to get another decent Seeker. We've been rotating Seekers from the Reserve team but none of them are really that great. Now that you're available, I'm hoping you'll come play for me."  
  
"Hang on, don't I have to tryout?" Harry asked him.  
  
"That's just a formality," Wood said dismissively. "I'll have you join in a few practices but I wouldn't call it an official tryout."  
  
"How does your other Seeker feel about having to share her job with me?" He had to ask.  
  
"Chang's all for it. When she's in top form nobody can get the Snitch faster, except for maybe you, but she has a problem with injuries just like when she was at school."  
  
Harry had withheld that piece of information when he got Wood's letter. Hermione had never liked Cho and he didn't want her to think now that they would be playing on the same team his old feelings for her would resurface. He was over Cho and had been that way for a couple of years now.  
  
Of course Ron knew she was on the team. He read all the Quidditch magazines and knew Puddlemere had picked her up halfway through last season. But Ron must have thought the way he did because he hadn't said anything to Hermione either.  
  
Naturally, if Hermione ever game to one of his matches or listened to it on the wireless she would know Cho was on the team. He supposed it would go over better if she heard it from him, so he would have to get around to telling her eventually.  
  
"Believe me, Harry, you're the missing link to giving us our first European Cup since 1973. And with you on the team we'll win our twenty-sixth consecutive league championship." Wood went on, doing his best to sell Harry on the idea of playing for Puddlemere. "Seeker is where most of the injuries happen but we're the first team who's finally got smart enough to carry two of them, thanks to the expanded roaster rule they passed at the beginning of the season. If I can split almost evenly the games you and Chang play then you'll both be well rested for the playoffs."  
  
It was amusing to see that Wood was just as fanatical and obsessed about Quidditch as when he'd played Keeper for Gryffindor. Though if Harry did get on the team, which there did not seem to be any doubt about it, he knew it wouldn't be long before he thought otherwise of the Keeper's over-zealous love of the game.  
  
"Brilliant, you brought your broom," said Wood glancing down at his hands.  
  
Harry hadn't known what to expect, so he thought it better to come prepared. Along with his broom, he had brought his duffle bag with a change of clothes inside.  
  
"Do you have Quidditch robes with you?"  
  
"Yeah, my old Gryffindor ones."  
  
Wood nodded his head approvingly. "You can wear those for today. By next week we'll get you your own set of team robes."  
  
With that, Wood began leading him across the pitch towards the team practice building, which housed the locker room, so he could meet the rest of the players and change for practice.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione felt a little guilty showing up at her parents' house without letting them know ahead of time and they had automatically assumed she had come to visit. She had, but just not in the way they were hoping.  
  
Harry had already left hours before she had to meet Oliver Wood, but Ron had been around and had offered to go with her. She appreciated his offer but told him this was something she had to do on her own. Besides, once Harry got home, the both of them were going to have their hands full unpacking what they had moved into their flat already.  
  
Her mother had made them lunch, and then her and her father had taken turns asking her things like how work was and how the Weasley family was doing. Things started to go downhill when her father asked her when she was moving back home.  
  
"I know the Weasley's invited you to spend the summer with them but it's now the sixth of September, Hermione," her father was saying. "I think it's time you came back home."  
  
"Actually, I'm not moving back here," she said, watching her parents expressions change. "I found a place of my own."  
  
"Are you sure, dear?" Said her mother. "I'm not sure what they're paying you at that Ministry of yours but is it enough to cover all your expenses?"  
  
At least her mother wasn't opposed to the idea of her no longer wanting to live at home. "Mum, I'm making enough to support myself if I chose to live on my own."  
  
"But I thought that's what you just said you were doing," said her father, sounding a little confused.  
  
"It is, but I'm not going to be living by myself. I'm going to have roommates."  
  
This news seemed to surprise her parents more than her announcement of moving out and she knew why. Her parents knew that aside from Ron and Harry, the only other friend of hers she had mentioned to them was Ginny Weasley.  
  
"I thought Ginny Weasley still had one more year left at Hogwarts?" Said her mother.  
  
"She does, mum."  
  
"Who are you roommates then?"  
  
She looked at her parents and wondered how she could have ever convinced herself they would be all right with her living with two men. But she couldn't not tell them, and she had already come this far so she might as well just get it over with. "I'm going to be living with Ron and Harry," she blurted out.  
  
"Those two friends of yours? The boys?" Her mother said.  
  
"Yes, mum, they're boys," she said, already knowing what her father's response would be.  
  
"I know the three of you have been friends for a very long time but I don't think you should be living with them," was her father's predictable response. "It doesn't look good for someone your age to be living alone with two boys."  
  
"Dad, I trust Ron and Harry with my life. They would never do anything to hurt me. Besides, we've been living together all summer and you didn't mind that."  
  
"That was an entirely different situation. Ron's parents were there with you," he dad was quick to point out.  
  
"How many bedrooms does this flat have?"  
  
"There's three, mum. We each have our own room." That was true. She just didn't know how much time she would actually be spending in hers.  
  
"Ron and Harry are my best friends but that's all we are. I  I have a boyfriend." Lying was the last thing she wanted to do but she didn't see any other way out of this.  
  
"Really? How come you never told us about this boy before now?"  
  
Hermione was annoyed at the surprise in her mother's tone. "I met him at work. We've only been seeing each other a few weeks."  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"I went to school with him, dad. He was the same year as me just a different house. His name is Terry Boot."  
  
"And he works at the Ministry, you say?"  
  
"Yes, he does."  
  
"Is it serious?" Her mother wanted to know.  
  
"No, not yet."  
  
"And this Terry Boot is all right with you living with two boys?" Asked her father.  
  
"Of course he is. He knows Harry, Ron, and I have been friends since we were eleven."  
  
"But if you have enough money to live on your own, why don't you?" Her mother said to her.  
  
Hermione had to think quickly for an excuse. She was already knee deep in lies so what was one more? "My job isn't exactly secure, so I wouldn't want to be stuck with a flat I can't afford."  
  
"But you just started there two months ago!" Her mother cried.  
  
"They're having to make cut backs in the department, and if they have to lose any staff I'll be one of the first to go because I have the least seniority."  
  
"That doesn't sound like a very stable job," her father said, frowning. "You should start looking elsewhere in case they do let you go."  
  
"Don't worry, I already have."  
  
Her parents finally seemed satisfied with her reasons for living with Ron and Harry, even though she had lied through her teeth to twist the situation into her favour. But since her parents weren't from the wizarding world, the chances of them finding out she was lying were extremely slim and that made her feel a little better about what she had done.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione found the boys unpacking in the living room. The house was a lot more full than when she had left it that morning. There had been nothing but boxes before, but now there was furniture everywhere. It had would have been nice if they had waited for her before picking things out.  
  
She put down the two suitcases she had brought with her, planning to get the rest of her stuff later. She just wanted to get out of her parents house before they began asking more questions and she was forced to come up with even more lies.  
  
"How'd it go with your parents?" Ron asked her.  
  
"I'm here, aren't I?" She shook head, not meaning to sound snappish. "I'm sorry, it just didn't go as well as I thought and then I ended up having to come up with all these lies."  
  
"You were going to have to lie to them anyways, weren't you?" Said Harry. "You weren't going to tell them about us, were you?"  
  
"No, but I thought if I just made them understood I wanted to live with you as friends that would be good enough."  
  
"I'm guessing that didn't go over too well," said Ron.  
  
She told them about not only having to lie about their relationship, but also making up a false boyfriend so her parents wouldn't think there was anything more than platonic feelings going on between the three of them. Then she told them how her parents wanted to know why she would choose to live with roommates if she could afford to live on her own, and that had led to an entirely fabricated story about her job at the Ministry being in trouble.  
  
Ron looked thoroughly impressed when she finished. "Wow, that was brilliant," he said in awe. "Fred and George would be proud of you. You're an even better liar than they are."  
  
That was one compliment she could have done without. She sat down on the navy blue sofa they had bought and hung her head in her hands. "I can't believe I lied to them like that and didn't even think anything of it. I've never lied to them like that before."  
  
"What other choice did you have?" Said Harry, sitting down beside her.  
  
"I could have told them the truth."  
  
"Trust me, it's better that you lied," said Ron. "My mum nearly hit the roof when she found out you would be living with us."  
  
Ron had told his parents yesterday about their soon-to-be living arrangements. Thankfully he had one very understanding parent and one over emotional one so they balanced each other out. His father seemed unconcerned by the idea of all three of them living together, since that was basically what they had done when they had been away at Hogwarts. His mother didn't see it that way though. She didn't care how good of friends they were. She said it wouldn't be decent for Hermione to live alone with him and Harry. Thanks to his dad taking his side and saying he was an adult who could decide where he wanted to live and with whom, his mother had desisted in her protests. She was still far from fond of the idea but at least she hadn't threatened to disown him like she had with Fred and George more times than he could count.  
  
"But at least your dad was understanding and helped your mum agree to the idea. Both my parents were equally opposed to the three of us living together," Hermione said.  
  
"I know you had to lie and you hated doing that, but they must have agreed to the idea somewhat or else you wouldn't be here," Harry pointed out. "It'll just take some getting used to and then they'll come around."  
  
She didn't want to talk or even think about her parents anymore. If she was going to feel guilty all the time, she might as well move back home. "So have we decided on rooms?" She asked them.  
  
Harry opened his mouth, but Ron beat him to the punch. "Harry's paying the most so he gets the master bedroom."  
  
"I don't have to," Harry said to them.  
  
"That's fine, Harry. It's yours," she said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Do you want me to take these to your room?" Ron asked, who was still standing.  
  
"I'm impressed, Ron. I wasn't expecting you to be such a gentleman," she teased.  
  
"I'm sure it'll wear off after a few days of living with you," he retorted and took off down the hall towards the bedrooms.  
  
Hermione had little doubt about that. "Nice furniture," she remarked, staring around the room.  
  
Harry grinned sheepishly at her. "Sorry, I know you wanted to pick some things out but Ron and I didn't know how long you'd be at your parents, so we thought we should at least have some furniture our first day here."  
  
"I suppose your taste isn't too bad," she said looking around. "Just don't tell me you picked out the furniture for my bedroom as well."  
  
"No, you room's empty. We left that up to you. Just tell me what you want and  "  
  
"No, Harry. You're not buying anything for me," she stated firmly.  
  
"Hermione, my parents and Sirius left me more money than I know what to do with and once Wood makes me sign the contract for Puddlemere United I'm going to be making a professional Quidditch player's salary. You can consider it an early birthday present if it'll make you feel better."  
  
She didn't know what Quidditch players made but she assumed it must be a lot by the way Harry was talking. "I'll consider it," she told him.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes."  
  
He didn't let her argue further because he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her.  
  
"It must have gone good with Wood then?" She said when Harry pulled his mouth away.  
  
"He's not even making me tryout. I practiced with the team a bit today and then I've got another one tomorrow."  
  
"Your whole weekend spent playing Quidditch. You must be devastated," she said, a smile tugging on her lips.  
  
"You have no idea," he responded before covering her lips with his own.  
  
She moaned when he grabbed her arse and ground her against his lap. She moved her hand to the front of his trousers, gripping the bulge she found there. Harry grunted before starting on her neck.  
  
"I thought we were supposed to be unpacking," she said as she continued to stroke his hardening cock.  
  
"I am unpacking," he murmured, and started pushing her shirt up, planting kisses all over her stomach.  
  
There was a loud pop, and then a very embarrassed voice saying, "sorry, I'll come back later."  
  
Hermione scrambled off Harry's lap, feeling more humiliated and embarrassed than she had in her entire life and it showed on her face. But it could have been much worse, at least it was Remus Lupin who had caught them and not Mrs. Weasley  
  
"No, Remus, it's all right," she said, straightening her clothes. She could tell Harry was just as embarrassed because his budding erection was gone now.  
  
"I'll have to get Alastor to help me put up those protective wards so no one will be able to apparate in," said Lupin, his face a little red as well.  
  
The war might be over but there were still followers of Voldemort around and Moody, being the paranoid person that he was, insisted that Harry should have anti-apparition and other protection charms put around the house. If he had done that before they moved in, Harry and Hermione wouldn't have found themselves in this awkward situation.  
  
"I came by to see if you needed a hand but maybe I should have owled ahead."  
  
Ron came strolling into the room then, completely oblivious to what had been happening only moments before, despite the fact that Harry and Hermione's faces were still flushed. "Hey, Remus," he greeted him. "Want to help us unpack?"  
  
"Of course, that's why I'm here," Lupin said with false cheerfulness.  
  
It was impossible to miss the look of disappointment Lupin sent Harry before following Ron into the next room. Even Lupin had suspicions about Ron's feelings towards Hermione and now he thought the two of them were carrying on behind his back.  
  
Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair. The three of them living together was supposed to make things easier not more complicated.


	6. Chapter Six

Later on that same day Harry went back with Lupin to Grimmauld Place. Harry didn't want to have anything to do with the Black house, which was why he had never considered it as an option for where to live. Not only were there too many memories of Sirius there, but it was a constant reminder of the war and all the Order members who had given their lives in the fight against Voldemort. Harry did not want his first place to be the former home of a pureblood fanatic who loathed anyone who wasn't.

He had ordered Kreacher to remain at Hogwarts and left him under Dobby's care. He was to follow any orders Dobby gave him without question. If Dobby had any difficulties with Kreacher, Harry had said to contact him and he would straighten the house elf out himself.  
  
Harry had asked Lupin to make Grimmauld Place his home. Though he couldn't legally hand the house over to him, he could still allow Lupin to live there. Lupin had tried to refuse his generosity, but Harry wouldn't take no for an answer. He finally convinced Lupin to move in by saying Sirius wouldn't have cared which one of them lived there, and it was better that someone keep an eye on the house in case they ever needed it as a place of refuge again.  
  
"Here's the first box," Lupin said, pulling down a dust-covered black box marked James & Lily.  
  
Harry swallowed hard as Lupin removed the lid, revealing a bunch of photos and other assorted items that had belonged to his parents.  
  
They were in the attic where Lupin had stored some of the things that had once belonged to his parents. They had been kept in storage until a few years ago when Lupin had brought them back to Grimmauld Place.  
  
"When Sirius was still alive," Lupin started, "I brought these out of your parents' storage vault at Gringotts. We were going to go through them with you that summer. But then Sirius died and I didn't want to go through these knowing I would be looking at photos of three dead friends now. I actually forgot about this stuff until I moved some of my things up here."  
  
Harry understood. Lupin had been forced to bury all of his childhood friends. If anything ever happened to Ron or Hermione Harry didn't know if he could bear going through any of their things from when they had been alive.  
  
"How many boxes are there?" Harry asked him in a thick voice.  
  
"There's about four here and some more at Gringotts when you feel ready to go through them. What's here is most of their personal belongings."  
  
"Remus, I can't take all this."  
  
"Yes, you can," Lupin said to him. "I had a lifetime's worth of memories with your parents, you never got that chance. I know Sirius and I have both told your stories but the items in these boxes will help you to better know the kind of people they were when they were alive."  
  
Harry picked up the top photo in the box. It was already in a frame. It was of his parents, Sirius, and Lupin. His father had his arms around his mother and the four of them looked so happy, smiling and waving at him.  
  
"That was taken shortly after they were married," Lupin told him. "Pettigrew was away a lot then, visiting his sick mother  at least that's what he told us."  
  
Harry put the picture frame back in the box. At the mention of Pettigrew, he felt himself grow angry and he didn't want to look through his parents' belongings when he felt that way.  
  
"You don't have to go through any of this today," Lupin said gently. "Wait until you're ready."  
  
Harry nodded, putting the lid back on the box. He should have been happy he finally had some more things to remind him of his parents, but all it did was make him think of how they had died protecting him, and then Dumbledore leaving him with the abusive Dursley's for ten years.  
  
But right now he had something much more important to do, and that was clear the air with Lupin about what he witnessed earlier. "What you saw today with me and Hermione  "  
  
Lupin held up a hand for him to stop. "Harry, it's none of my business, but I would have thought as Ron's best friend, you would have discussed something like this with him before the three of you decided to move in together. I think Ron has made his feelings regarding Hermione very clear."  
  
Harry laced his fingers through the back of his neck. "I know how he feels about her."  
  
"Some lines are not meant to be crossed, Harry. You couldn't have chosen someone any better than Hermione, but is she worth losing your friendship with Ron?"  
  
Hermione may have been able to lie to her parents but Harry couldn't do the same with Lupin. Lupin was the one adult who had always been honest with him and never treated him like a child that he felt sick inside at the thought of having to deceive him.  
  
"Ron knows about me and Hermione," he said slowly.  
  
Lupin's eyes widened slightly. "He does? No offense to Ron but I didn't think he would take something like that so calmly, let alone agree to live with you and Hermione."  
  
Here goes nothing. "Ron knows because we're both involved with Hermione together."  
  
Lupin clearly wasn't expecting that. "So all three of you are  ?"  
  
"Yes," Harry answered, blushing.  
  
The absolute last thing Harry had been expecting was for Lupin to chuckle.  
  
"I can't say that I'm surprised."  
  
"Wha  what do you mean?" Harry stammered.  
  
Lupin smiled at Harry's bewildered expression. "Well, the three of you have always been extremely close. I have to admit I've considered the possibility that something like this might happen."  
  
Harry was completely blown away by Lupin's calm attitude. "So you're okay with the three of us together like this?"  
  
"Harry, I went to school in the seventies, everybody was experimenting with everybody then."  
  
"This isn't a phase," Harry said, feeling defensive.  
  
"No, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant to imply. I just got the impression you thought I was too old to understand what's it like to be in love."  
  
"Sort of," Harry admitted. He hadn't expected Lupin to be this open and understanding, especially after Ron and Hermione's parents had not even wanted them to live together as friends.  
  
Lupin smiled. "I'll try not to take offense to that, though I'm sure Tonks would get a good laugh from it."  
  
"Remus, nobody else knows about this," Harry said then.  
  
"I figured as much. I doubt Molly as well as Hermione's parents would have agreed to these living arrangements if they knew otherwise."  
  
"Look, I know it's a lot to ask but can you please not say anything to Tonks?"  
  
"I can keep your secret, Harry, but you must know these things have a way of coming out on their own," Lupin said.  
  
"Hopefully, that's a very long time from now," Harry muttered.  
  
"Do you mind my asking how long has this been going on?"  
  
"About a month," Harry answered truthfully.  
  
"I see," Lupin said, looking thoughtful. "And you don't think you're rushing things a bit with the three of you living together so soon?"  
  
"It's all really sudden, I know, but it's not as if we haven't lived together when we were at school," Harry said, remembering the line Hermione had used on her parents.  
  
"While that's true, this is quite a different living arrangement from that. There's a big difference between living with someone who's a friend and living with someone you're romantically involved with. I think it also complicates things further because there's three of you."  
  
"You're saying we should have waited before moving in together?"  
  
Lupin sighed. "It's difficult not to feel like you have to make every day count. So many people died in the last war that people aren't so quick to take the future for granted anymore. If this is something the three of you want, then you made the right decision."  
  
Once again, Harry was glad to have Lupin on his side and for the first time in a long while it had nothing to do with the war or Voldemort.  
  
"Let's take some of these boxes downstairs," Lupin said, grabbing another one with his parents' names on it.  
  
Harry grabbed the box off the floor and took the picture out of it containing Lupin, Sirius and his parents and left it on top of another box, before following Lupin out of the attic.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
"I think it's a bit suspicious that I'm the only one here without a bed," said Hermione, wandering into the living room on their first night at their flat. Ron had been sitting in front of the telly for the last two hours, completely fascinated by all the muggle programming.  
  
"You did say you wanted to pick out your own furniture," Harry said, grinning at her.  
  
"Let's just hope my parents don't drop by before that happens."  
  
Ron turned his head away from the telly long enough to look at her outfit. "That's different," he commented. "You've never worn that to bed before."  
  
She looked down at the blue flannel pajamas she was wearing. They were as far from sexy as possible but they were comfortable. "You didn't think I wore a nightgown like that every night did you?"  
  
"You did every night you came to our room at The Burrow."  
  
She blushed. "That was different. Now that we're living together, I don't think I should have to wear anything special."  
  
"You don't have to wear anything if you don't want to," said Harry with a wicked grin.  
  
She blushed again. "Well, I'm going to bed."  
  
"You don't have a bed to go to," said Ron cheekily.  
  
"I'm sure I'll figure something out."  
  
Ron switched the telly off and moved from the couch.  
  
"I didn't say you had to come with me."  
  
Ron flashed her a lopsided grin. "Who said anything about going to bed?"  
  
In a matter of seconds, Ron had her pinned up against the wall and was working the buttons undone on her pajama top.  
  
She pushed his hands away. "I'm not having another incident like this afternoon," she said to him. She and Harry had explained to Ron about Lupin popping in on them. To her annoyance, Ron had found the whole thing rather comical.  
  
"Hermione, it's the middle of the night," said Ron. "No one's going to apparate in here. Moody and Lupin are going to put the wards up around the house tomorrow anyways."  
  
"Maybe we should wait until then."  
  
Ron sighed in frustration. She had to be so damn rational and logical all the time.  
  
"Er, well, we don't have to worry about Lupin walking in on us again," Harry said, approaching his friends. "I sort of told him about us when we went to Grimmauld Place."  
  
"You what?!?" Ron practically shouted.  
  
"What did he say?" Hermione asked, sounding a lot calmer than Ron.  
  
Harry scratched the back of his head, saying, "he wasn't exactly surprised by it and he agreed not to tell anyone."  
  
Hermione looked satisfied with that answer but Ron was still on edge about the whole thing.  
  
"Why did you tell him?"  
  
"He thought me and Hermione were sneaking around behind your back, so I had to tell him the truth."  
  
"That's okay, Harry," Hermione said. "It's nice there's at least one person we don't have to lie to."  
  
"I guess it's all right," Ron said after a moment. "But don't expect me to go telling my family anytime soon."  
  
"We're not telling anyone else, Ron, so don't worry," Harry told him. He knew the one thing that would get Ron's mind off of the subject at hand. He grabbed a fistful of Ron's hair and pulled him forward for a long, hard kiss.  
  
Ron moved his mouth away, saying, "now, I've completely forgotten what we were talking about."  
  
Harry smirked. "That was the point."  
  
Ron turned to Hermione. "What about you? You're not really going to bed are you?"  
  
She bit her bottom lip. It was relatively late, so the chances of someone apparating in on them at this hour was extremely remote. It didn't help that Harry and Ron were staring at her with these lost puppy dog eyes.  
  
"Don't think that look is going to work on me every time," she said to them.  
  
"As if you needed any real convincing in the first place," Ron said smugly.  
  
Harry pulled her towards him, giving her the same fervent kiss he had given Ron a few minutes ago. "What do you want to do?" He asked her.  
  
She fixed him with a sultry look. "I believe we were interrupted earlier before we could get anywhere."  
  
With that one look, Harry felt his trousers become painfully constricting.  
  
"What about me?" Said Ron, who felt left out as Hermione began undoing Harry's belt buckle.  
  
"Get behind Harry," she instructed.  
  
"And do what?"  
  
"I'm sure you'll think of something," she said, throwing him a look similar to the one she had given Harry.  
  
When she had Harry's trousers pulled down, she let him step out of them before stroking his cock teasingly through his boxers.  
  
"Take off your top," said Ron, who was hurriedly removing his own trousers from where he stood behind Harry.  
  
She began unbuttoning her shirt and from the noises they were both making, she knew they thought she was taking too long. When she finally pushed it off her shoulders, Harry and Ron both groaned at the fact she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. She let Harry grope and fondle her breasts for a bit before going down on her knees.  
  
Harry still had his boxers on but you would have had to been blind to mess the erection tenting from them. She tugged them down, freeing his throbbing cock to bob in the air in front of her face. When she wrapped her hand around his hard shaft, Harry grunted and fell back against Ron, who was now completely starkers behind him. Ron needed no other stimulation than to have Harry pressed up against him for his own cock to spring to life.  
  
Feeling a surge of confidence from the way Harry responded to just her hand, she used her mouth in place of it.  
  
"Fuck, Hermione!" Harry cried out, and pushed his cock deeper into her mouth without meaning to.  
  
Hermione figured the boys had performed oral sex on her enough times, it was only fair she returned the favour. She didn't know if there was a special technique to this, so she just followed what she had done when she had jerked them off for the first time. She listened to the sounds Harry would make when she tried different things with her mouth, like taking him deeper or running her tongue along the underside. He groaned appreciatively when she pushed her tongue over the head and spread the pre-cum there over the rest of his cock.  
  
Harry's hips kept grinding back into Ron's from Hermione's treatment. Ron wasn't going to stand by uselessly and do nothing. Hermione did say she was sure he would think of something to do while he was back there. It wasn't so much as thinking as it was acting on instinct. Harry's arse rubbing against his cock made any rational thought impossible.  
  
Ron moved back a little and worked a finger inside Harry's tight crevice getting him ready for him. That made Harry force his cock even deeper into Hermione's mouth. When Ron felt he'd worked Harry's arse enough, he grabbed Harry's hips and pushed into him with one powerful stroke. They had both long since given up the idea of pushing in to each other slowly.  
  
When Ron's cock slid into him, Harry jerked his hips towards Hermione's mouth harder than before and felt his cock hit the back of her throat.  
  
"Sorry," he gasped.  
  
She gagged a little, letting his dick slide out of her mouth almost completely. But she recovered quickly and wrapped her lips around his weeping cock again and continued to suck.  
  
Harry wove his hands through Hermione's curls, trying not push himself into her any more than he could. But with Ron slamming into him from behind, it was impossible not to continuously buck his hips towards her.  
  
Ron was all too aware that every time he thrust into Harry, Harry thrust himself deeper into Hermione's mouth. In a way, it was like Hermione was fucking him with her mouth through Harry.  
  
Harry felt his own impending orgasm approaching. He warned Hermione that he was close, and that seemed to spur her own as she sucked his cock with renewed enthusiasm. When Ron pounded into him and his cock hit the back of her throat for the second time, Harry came instantly. Hermione choked a little before moving her mouth away. Harry couldn't even get out an apology this time. He was climaxing so hard he thought he was going to black out, especially with Ron still thrusting into him.  
  
Once Harry's entire body tensed up, including the muscles surrounding Ron's dick, Ron was rocked by his own orgasm, spilling his load deep into Harry's anus. Harry had stopped cumming but Ron kept pumping into him until his cock went soft and he slipped out of Harry, feeling like he'd just run a marathon.  
  
The couch was much too small to fit all of them on it comfortably, that they settled for lying on the carpet in a tangled heap.  
  
"That was incredible," Harry panted, who wasn't sure if he had ever cum that hard in his life. "Sorry about forcing my cock down your throat," he said to Hermione.  
  
She gave him a kiss. "I know it was all Ron's fault."  
  
"Hey!" Said an indignant Ron.  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
"Why am I the only one who's completely starkers?" Said Ron. Harry still had his shirt on and Hermione still had her pajama bottoms on.  
  
"I guess you're just really eager," supplied Hermione.  
  
"Not as eager as somebody else," said Harry, stroking the front part of Hermione's pajamas that were completely soaked through.  
  
"Oh Harry," she whimpered, letting her eyes flutter shut.  
  
Ron sat up and crawled over to Hermione. He put his hands on her waist and gently pulled her bottoms down. He tossed them over were the rest of hers and Harry's clothes were. Ron felt rejuvenated at the sight of her throbbing cunt. Harry continued to stroke her through her dark curls, her juices leaking out onto his hand and on to the carpet below.  
  
"Get up, Harry. I've got a better idea," said Ron.  
  
Together, they both helped Hermione to her feet, sandwiching her between them with Ron in the front and Harry in the back.  
  
"Do you want us to both shag you at the same time?" Ron asked, running his hands over her breasts.  
  
Despite her aroused state, she regained enough of her composure to give him a shocked look.  
  
Ron could see she was having some misgivings about the idea. "Trust me, Harry's a real pro at this," he said trying to make a joke out of it.  
  
Harry snaked his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to him, so she could feel how hard she had made him again. "We both want to be inside you at the same time."  
  
It sounded to Hermione like something they had been planning for a while, or had at least talked about it.  
  
"If you don't like it, we'll stop," Ron promised.  
  
"Okay," said, though she didn't sound completely confident.  
  
Ron brushed kisses over the top of her breasts before rubbing his erection against her entrance, making them both groan. They'd done this several times now that Ron was able to slide into her with relative ease, grunting as he felt her tight walls all around him.  
  
It still hurt a little whenever Harry or Ron would first enter her, but once they started thrusting inside her, the pleasure overrode any remaining pain.  
  
Harry got down on his knees behind her, kissing each of her buttocks in turn and massaging them with his hands. She yelled out when Harry inserted a finger into her anus, and then when he inserted a second one he couldn't tell if she cried out because of that or they way Ron was suckling her breasts with his mouth as he shagged her.  
  
Even when Harry had a second finger inside of her she was still unbelievably tight. She moaned at the loss of contact when he took out his fingers and stood up straight behind her.  
  
She was rocking back against him as Ron pounded into her, so it made it more difficult for him to spread her arse cheeks because she kept moving. But he managed and placed the head of his cock between her buttocks.  
  
When Hermione felt Harry nudge his cock inside her further, she gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
"Hermione?" Harry's voice sounded from behind her.  
  
"Keep going," she told him, her voice sounding strained.  
  
Harry pushed as much of his cock inside her as he could and then started to thrust. He grabbed a hold of her hips to make it easier to push in and out of her. If he thought she was tight by just inserting his fingers inside her, it was nothing compared to the feeling of having her tightness around his cock.  
  
Once Hermione got used to the feeling of having them both inside her, she told them to go faster. There was still pain from Harry's dick moving in and out of her arse but it was more bearable now, and because it had ebbed away somewhat she could she could take pleasure in having both boys moving their cocks inside her at the same time.  
  
Ron kept his eyes locked on Hermione's face, which up until a few moments ago had been contorted in pain. Now she was panting and moaning as he and Harry plunged into her harder and deeper with every thrust.  
  
Ron felt a rough hand that wasn't his own, brushing against his cock every time he slammed into Hermione. He looked down and could see Harry's hand resting at the top of Hermione's pussy and then snaking down further to touch them where they were joined.  
  
Harry didn't know which one of them came first, but as soon as his own orgasm hit, he pumped himself madly into Hermione's arse. He could hardly hear his friends climatic cries over his own. His dick was still wedged deep into Hermione's arse when she stepped forward to wrap her arms around Ron's neck to keep from collapsing, spilling his semen onto the carpet.  
  
"Oh my god," was all Hermione could say as she clung to Ron. How was it she could find her arse feeling completely sore from Harry penetrating her and yet still think that what was their best time together so far?  
  
Ron didn't feel too sturdy on his feet either, so he gently brought Hermione down onto the carpet with him, his back resting against the couch as he still had her in his arms.  
  
With some effort, Harry moved himself over so he was on Hermione's other side. "How was that?" He asked, his heartbeat still racing.  
  
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to just having one of you in me at a time," she said, moving off of Ron and resting her head on Harry's shoulder.  
  
"Bloody hell, Harry, I think we've created a monster," Ron said teasingly.  
  
Hermione was too tired to remark back.  
  
"We still have about half a dozen other rooms to shag in," said Harry.  
  
"I don't think I'm going to be shagging anyone else tonight," she said sleepily. "But you two are welcome to keep at it."  
  
"I think Harry and me are pretty worn out too," Ron noted. "School isn't the only thing you know how to work us hard at," he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.  
  
"We're going to have to clean this up," said Hermione, looking around at the mess they'd made all over the carpet.  
  
"Thank Merlin for cleaning charms," said Ron in relief.  
  
"So who's bed are we sleeping in?" Asked Harry.  
  
"We'll decide that when we get there," Ron answered, scooping up Hermione in his arms and starting towards the hall that led to the bedrooms.


	7. Chapter Seven

Ron had decided to take his chances and apply for the vacant position with the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He wasn't expecting anything to come of it, so he was very surprised when he received an owl asking him to come in for an interview. He soon found himself a nervous wreck about the whole thing, but Hermione had given him pointers and wrote down questions he should ask the interviewer to show his interest in the job.  
  
But even all that preparation hadn't stopped him from sweating through his robes throughout the entire interview. He didn't know why he was nervous. This was Quidditch  the one thing he knew everything there was to know about it. He had stuttered a little and forgot half of the things Hermione told him, but he must have impressed the interviewer because he wanted Ron to come back the following Saturday when the department director would be available to interview him.  
  
Ron apparated home in high spirits, finding Harry standing just inside the front door when he walked in.  
  
"Did you just get home?" Ron said incredulously. Harry had left hours before he had for Quidditch practice, but seeing as he was still in his team robes meant he probably did just get in the door.  
  
"Wood had some new strategies he wanted us to practice," Harry said wearily.  
  
"So he's still the same old Wood, is he?"  
  
"No, he's even worse now," Harry said with a groan.  
  
Ron chuckled. He had never played with Oliver Wood but from everything Harry had told him and the matches Ron had watched him play, Wood was something of an insane perfectionist when it came to Quidditch.  
  
"How's Cho?" Ron couldn't resist asking.  
  
Harry frowned. "She's fine."  
  
"I don't know why you still haven't told Hermione she's on the team."  
  
"I'll get around to it."  
  
"It's not like you fancy her or anything, do you?"  
  
"Of course not," Harry said, growing irritated. Ron should have known better than most that he had been over Cho for a long time now. "Can we not talk about her anymore?"  
  
"Fine," said Ron, noticing how touchy Harry was about the subject "Is Hermione home yet?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "It's still early though."  
  
"I know but she promised she'd be on time tonight because she knows we're doing something for her birthday."  
  
"You didn't tell her anything, did you?" Said Harry.  
  
"I can keep a secret, Harry."  
  
"I know that," Harry responded, leaning forward and pressing his mouth against Ron's. He only meant it to be a quick kiss but Ron threaded his fingers through the back of Harry's sweat tangled hair and thrust his tongue into Harry's open mouth.  
  
"I have to shower," Harry said reluctantly.  
  
"Me too," said Ron with a smirk. He undid the clasps on Harry's robes and pushed them to the floor, before undoing his own robes and shrugging out of them. Ron pushed Harry back in the direction of his bedroom, since he had his own bathroom.  
  
"Wait, Ron," Harry said grabbing onto his arms.  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. "Please tell me you're not going to pick up our robes and fold them nicely."  
  
"We can't just leave them there. I've had enough of listening to Hermione tell you off for leaving your stuff everywhere, I don't need her to start in on me too."  
  
"For fuck's sake, Harry, it's her birthday. She's not going to care we left them there," Ron said exasperated. "We have more important things to take care of anyways, like this massive hard on you've developed," he said, grabbing Harry's dick through his uniform trousers.  
  
Harry's breath quickened and he was unable to focus on anything else but the hand that was making him harder with every touch.  
  
Only once they had made it to the bedroom did Ron remove his hand from the hard bulge protruding from Harry's trousers. Ron took a moment to rub his own body full against Harry's, their clothed erections rubbing almost painfully against each other.  
  
Harry closed his eyes, remembering how many times they had done this after a Quidditch practice or match at school, though Harry was the only one wearing a uniform at the moment.  
  
Ron made quick work of Harry's trousers and underwear before pushing him on the bed.  
  
"I thought we were heading for the shower," Harry said, not sounding the least bit upset as he ended up flat on his back on his own bed instead.  
  
"We'll get there eventually," growled Ron, who pulled Harry's leg closer to the end of the bed and got down on his knees in front of him. Harry's cock stood at attention in front of him. Ron grabbed the base of his shaft and gave it a long lick. Harry's whole body arched off the bed.  
  
"Was that too much, Harry? Should I stop?" Ron teased.  
  
"You're such a bloody wanker," Harry said through gritted teeth.  
  
"It takes one to know one," Ron said before taking Harry's rock hard cock into his mouth.  
  
Harry grabbed fistfuls of the comforter, tossing his head back with a groan. He knew Ron's technique but that didn't make it any less exciting for Harry, who enjoyed Ron's predictable pattern of just teasing the head of his cock and then switching that up to deep throating him, using his tongue the entire time. When he felt Harry's dick start to tense up, Ron grabbed his balls and squeezed them as hard as he could.  
  
Harry climaxed, shooting his load into Ron's mouth, who kept swallowing until Harry final stopped cumming.  
  
Ron flopped down on the bed beside Harry who was still breathing hard from his orgasm. Harry removed his glasses and rubbed his hands over his face.  
  
"That good, was I?" Said Ron smugly.  
  
Harry gave a derisive snort. "You wish." Then he moved over to the nightstand to put his glasses there. He went back over to Ron and straddled his waist, noticing the wet spots covering the front of his trousers. Harry removed his Quidditch sweater before turning his attention back to Ron.  
  
"You are going to take these off of me, right?"  
  
"Actually, I thought I'd just keep doing this," Harry said and pressed his pelvis into Ron's.  
  
Ron let out a primal groan. "Fuck, Harry, that's not funny. I'm so hard it hurts." He had been hard before when he had gone down on Harry but it was even worse now that he had a completely starkers Harry on his lap, riding him into the mattress while he was still full clothed.  
  
Harry took pity on him and undid his trousers, but he didn't pull them off. He slid his hand under the waistband of Ron's boxers, wrapped his fingers around his weeping cock and started to pump him. He watched Ron's head loll back and the look of pure rapture appear on his face. Harry took off his trousers the rest of the way and Ron's boxers soon followed. Harry leaned forward to take Ron's erection into his mouth but Ron stopped him.  
  
"While I know that will be brilliant," Ron started, "I really want you to be inside me right now fucking my brains out."  
  
"Where do you want to do it?" Harry asked as Ron tossed his shirt over his head. Harry could have laughed at the way the bed had almost become like a secondary source for shagging. With Hermione they did it everywhere, the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, the floor, it didn't matter where.  
  
"Against the wall," said Ron, his voice heavy with arousal.  
  
They got off the bed and Ron stood in front of the wall by the bathroom door. He braced his hands against the wall as Harry slid into him. There were no slow or tentative thrusts. He and Ron were always rough when they fucked and this time was no different. Harry rammed into him from behind with merciless thrusts, burying his cock as deep inside Ron as he could. Ron didn't have to tell him to do it harder, because he already knew Harry was slamming into him with as much force as he could.  
  
Harry moved his hands across Ron's bare chest before sliding them down passed his stomach and down to his pubic hair, playing with his cock and balls as he thrust into him.  
  
Harry came inside Ron, burying his face against the back of Ron's neck as he rode out the waves of his orgasm. When he finished, he pulled out of Ron and leaned back against the wall for support.  
  
"We really do need that shower now," Harry said, wiping the sweat off his brow.  
  
"I need more than just a shower," said Ron.  
  
Harry glanced down to see Ron's erection bobbing out from his dark pubic hair.  
  
"I can take care of that in there," Harry promised him and pulled Ron into the bathroom with him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Harry and Ron lost track of time while they were in the shower, so much so that by the time they got out and were decent again, Hermione was in the living room with her feet up on the couch, looking exhausted from her day of work. The telly was playing in the background.  
  
Ron quietly snuck away to pick up his and Harry's robes that were still on the floor in the hall and quickly tossed them into each of their rooms. There was no way Hermione would have missed them and that's probably why she was looking unimpressed when he came back into the living room.  
  
"How was work?" He asked her.  
  
"Horrible," she said with a weary sigh. "Someone's breeding dragons illegally again so we've got about a dozen eggs in containment that we're trying to get the Romanian government to take, but they won't send anyone before next week. Hopefully, they don't hatch before then. And I'm trying to get done the revisions for the new House Elf Act I drafted before I'm scheduled to meet with the department head next Friday."  
  
If it wasn't her birthday, Ron would have snickered about her crazy devotion to house elves.  
  
"I know you're tired," said Harry. "But Ron and I do have something planned for your birthday."  
  
"I haven't forgotten," she said, smiling suddenly.  
  
"Good, because we're going out."  
  
"Where?" She said, sounding suspicious. They knew she didn't like going to those noisy pubs and it wasn't as if they could act the way they did when they were at home together. They would have to be careful.  
  
"It's nowhere anyone will know us," Harry assured her. "It's a muggle restaurant I made reservations at."  
  
"Is there a dress code for this place?"  
  
"Well, sort of," he admitted.  
  
This was sounding very expensive. Harry had already paid for practically everything in her room as a birthday gift that she hadn't been expecting this as well. She thought when he said they a surprise for her it would involve the three of them spending the night at home together.  
  
"So what do I need to wear?" She asked him.  
  
"You can wear trousers but it's not that cold outside, so you could wear one of your skirts."  
  
If she wasn't suspicious before, she certainly was now. There was a look in Harry's eyes that she couldn't place. Ron wasn't saying anything but he didn't have to. She could tell he was in on whatever they had planned.  
  
"What if I don't want to wear a skirt?"  
  
"It doesn't matter what you wear," spoke up Ron. "You look beautiful in anything."  
  
"I guess I'll go get changed then," she said, blushing at Ron's compliment.  
  
Though she was severely tempted to wear trousers, just to see if that would ruin their plans, in the end she decided to put on a skirt.  
  
When she emerged from her room both boys had changed and were standing in the hall waiting for her.  
  
"Christ, you made us wait long enough," Ron complained. "Why do women always take so long to get ready?"  
  
"Believe me I would love to be able to just through on a shirt and trousers and be ready to go, but I'm not that lucky," was Hermione's response.  
  
"It was worth the wait," said Harry, briefly pressing his lips against hers.  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. "You're such a smooth talker, Harry."  
  
"You should try it, Ron. I don't think your insult bit is working anymore, not that it ever did," Harry said, smirking.  
  
"Bloody wanker."  
  
"Ron, language," Hermione reprimanded him.  
  
Ron didn't even bother with a comeback to this old argument of theirs. He pulled open the door and walked out, with Harry and Hermione following behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
They ended up in one of the more ritzy areas of London, and in front of a very prestigious looking Italian restaurant called Nama. The windows were tinted, preventing Hermione from getting a good look inside. She wondered how Harry had been able to find such a place, so she asked him.  
  
"Remus took Tonks here a few months ago," he told her, as Ron held the door open for her and she walked inside.  
  
She was going to ask him just what else he had been talking to Remus about regarding their relationship, but she was rendered speechless by the room in front of her.  
  
The inside was even more impressive than the outside. There were tables or fine leather booths to sit at. It was low lighting but there were dozens of fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Hermione found herself feeling severely underdressed looking around at everyone else in the restaurant.  
  
They were waiting in a short line up, and when they got to the front after a few minutes, Harry said to the hostess, "reservations for Potter."  
  
The hostess looked down at the list in front of her, searching for Harry's name. "Joseph will show you to your table, Mr. Potter," she said looking up at him again.  
  
Joseph, the tall, olive skinned man beside her, smiled politely at Harry before leading him through the restaurant.  
  
Harry found it a relief to finally go out somewhere in public and have nobody know who he was.  
  
Joseph led the trio right to the back of the restaurant towards their own secluded booth. He gave them all menus and said he would be back shortly to take their orders.  
  
"You should have told me this place was upscale fancy, Harry," she said as soon as their waiter was gone.  
  
"I didn't know it would be that fancy myself," he told her. "I never thought Remus would take Tonks some place like this."  
  
"Next time you should ask Remus about the dress code."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "So you already think there's going to be a second time?"  
  
She just smiled and shook her head, opening her menu. Her mouth fell open a little when she saw some of the prices.  
  
"Don't say it," said Harry, watching her expression. "Order anything you want."  
  
She didn't want to fight with him about money or any other silly thing, so she said, "this just means you can expect an extra nice Christmas present this year."  
  
Their waiting returned a few minutes later to take their orders, promising to return shortly with their drinks.  
  
She had already asked Ron how his interview had gone on the way over, so she was about to ask Harry how Quidditch practice had been when she felt Ron's hand start to slide up under her skirt.  
  
Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Comprehension dawned on her as she finally understood the subtle hints for her to wear a skirt. She pushed Ron's hand away from her leg, saying," you two are unbelievable."  
  
"What are you on about?" Harry said innocently.  
  
She wouldn't fall for his act. "Is this why you got some far out the way booth and wanted me to wear a skirt? You thought I would shag you both right here in the restaurant?" One look at their guilty expressions and she was ready to walk out of there, and would have if Ron hadn't grabbed her arm.  
  
"It's not like that," said Ron. "We weren't expecting you to shag us here. It's just we've never had a chance to be out together like this, and since it's your birthday we just wanted to have some fun."  
  
"There's a reason why we don't go out together like this," Hermione stated. That reason had been made all the more clearer by Ron's actions a few moments ago.  
  
"No one's going to see us," Ron insisted.  
  
"I think our waiter will notice something when he comes back," she responded.  
  
"And I think Ron and I know a thing or two about being discreet," Harry chimed in.  
  
She wished Harry hadn't brought up the fact that he and Ron had snuck around for months right under her nose and she hadn't suspected a thing. But that did mean they knew how to avoid getting caught.  
  
The waiter returned then with their drinks and Hermione took a very long drink of water from her glass already on the table.  
  
When their waiter left again, Ron moved his mouth close to Hermione's ear. "You'll let us fuck you in any position on any piece of furniture in the house but once we get out in public Harry and me can't even touch you."  
  
Her face was hot. "There's a very good reason for that."  
  
"None that I can see," Ron murmured, and started sliding his hand up her thigh again.  
  
So it wouldn't look suspicious as to why they were both sitting beside her, Harry stayed where he was across from them, watching Hermione keep a straight face as Ron's hand worked its way under her skirt.  
  
Any remaining misgivings she had went out the window when Ron's hand pushed her knickers to the side and his fingers began messaging her moist curls. She bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from making any noise, something that was made even more difficult when Ron slipped a finger inside her cunt. A small whimper escaped her lips.  
  
Ron's voice was hot and husky in her ear. "If we were home right now you'd be screaming."  
  
When he slid another finger into her she was starting to think she might. It was torture to keep herself firmly planted on the seat and not buck towards Ron's hand.  
  
Ron worked his fingers in and out of her, swirling them around inside her and pumping her faster than before. Her erratic breathing told him she was close. His hand was starting to cramp up from doing it at this angle. He had always been in front of her when they did this, but he managed. He used his remaining other fingers to pinch and rub her clit while he sped up the pace at which he finger fucked her.  
  
When she reached her peak, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the front of her seat with both hands. She stayed like that until she stopped climaxing and Ron took his fingers out of her.  
  
"Oh my god," she breathed as quietly as she could.  
  
Ron looked immensely pleased with himself and even more so when Hermione leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.  
  
She stared over at Harry who was watching them with this intense look. "So what do you have planned for me?" It was horrible how easily she had given in and let them corrupt her.  
  
Harry just gave a sort of shrug and looked off in another direction. She had known Harry for too long not to recognize that mischievous glint in his eyes when she saw it.  
  
But their dinner came without any more excitement. Although Hermione found it difficult to concentrate on eating her lasagna, wondering what else Harry and Ron had planned.  
  
Harry excused himself to use the loo when they were almost done their meal. By that point she had begun to concede that maybe nothing else was going to happen.  
  
A few minutes later she went to take a drink of water when she felt a pair of hands caressing her thighs. She snapped her head over to look at Ron, but both his hands were on the table and he was smirking into his plate. She already knew it was Harry, but she couldn't believe he was underneath their table. This was so much more obvious than what Ron had done. They were going to get kicked out of there for sure. When she ducked down to look under the table though there was nothing there.  
  
"Very clever, Harry," she said, wondering why she hadn't considered the possibility he had brought his invisibility cloak once she had known what they were up to.  
  
Harry slid her knickers off and stuffed them in his pocket. He placed teasing kisses over the inside of her thighs before reaching her center and thrusting his tongue inside her pussy.  
  
Even though she had been prepared for what Harry was going to do, she was powerless to stop herself from throwing her head back a little as Harry used his mouth over every inch of her pussy. Ron moved closer to her and she gripped his hand, needing to hold onto something.  
  
She tried to think about anything but the feel of Harry's tongue lapping at her from below.  
  
Harry refrained from using his teeth, knowing Hermione probably wouldn't be able to hold herself back if he did that. He just kept eating her out until she was cumming all over his face. Then he kept licking and sucking her clit until she stopped shuddering against him.  
  
"Go wait in the loo, Harry," Ron said to the empty space below their table. When Hermione's breathing started returning to normal he knew Harry was gone.  
  
Hermione turned to Ron, her features still flushed and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her face. "And why did you tell Harry to wait in the loo?"  
  
"You can't expect us to walk out of here in our conditions, can you?" Said Ron.  
  
She didn't need to look at crotch to know he had an erection. "I should. It would serve you both right."  
  
"I can see you enjoyed yourself so I know you won't let that happen," said a confident Ron.  
  
He was right, and without any further questioning they slid out of the booth together. It was then Hermione realized they were right by the loo since they were at the back of the restaurant.  
  
"Wait, Ron, I can't just walk into the men's loo  "  
  
"Trust me, there's nobody in there except Harry. If there was, Harry would be waiting outside for us."  
  
Ron pushed the door open and they quickly went inside. Harry was standing by the sink, his own hard on tenting through his pants.  
  
"We're alone," he told them.  
  
Ron took out his wand and pointed it at the door, locking it and putting a silencing charm around the room.  
  
Despite what they were about to do, Hermione couldn't stop herself from telling Ron off. "Ron, you can't use magic in a muggle place!" She shrieked. She was carrying her wand with her as well but that was only in case of an emergency.  
  
"It's not like any muggles saw me do it."  
  
"That's not the point. There's a reason the Ministry has rules like that."  
  
"And how many muggle rules have we broken tonight?" Said Harry.  
  
She saw his point.  
  
"You can nag me all you want when we get home but let's get on with this before someone notices why all three of us are missing."  
  
"How very romantic of you, Ron," she said sarcastically.  
  
Harry ended any more bickering that might have continued by pushing Hermione back against the wall. "What do you want, front or back?" He asked her.  
  
"Front," she said without thinking. She was getting used to having them bugger her from behind and it was good and all, but after having their mouths and hands on her pussy, she really wanted a cock in there now.  
  
There was no foreplay and they left their clothes on except for what had to be removed. Harry just hurried to pull down his trousers and underwear before pushing up Hermione's skirt. Her knickers were still in his pocket so he buried himself inside her with one swift stroke.  
  
Harry had only just started thrusting in and out of her when he felt Ron push his cock into him from behind. Together they developed a rhythm so when Ron pounded into him, Harry thrust into Hermione, pushing himself as deep inside her depths as he could.  
  
With the silencing charms around the rooms they were free to let themselves go, and they did, Hermione even more so then the boys after having to contain her cries of pleasure up until then.  
  
The boys, after being hard for most of the night, came quickly but not before Harry was able to get Hermione off as well. Still joined, they orgasmed together, each caught up in their own pleasure.  
  
Harry pressed himself flat against Hermione when he stopped climaxing burying his face in the crook of her shoulder. He could still feel Ron inside him as his body leaned heavily against his.  
  
"As lovely as this, I need to breathe," Hermione said a few seconds later.  
  
The boys moved off each other and her, pulling up their trousers and tucking their now soft dicks inside them.  
  
"We're skipping dessert, right?" Said Ron, his tone hopeful.  
  
"I think that's a safe assumption," said Hermione who was smoothing her skirt back down. "Harry, you still have my knickers."  
  
"You can have them back when we get home," he told her.  
  
Yes, they would definitely be skipping dessert and asking for the bill as soon as they got back to their table.


	8. Chapter Eight

When Ron blinked his eyes open awake, it had nothing to do with the fact that his alarm clock was yelling at him to get his lazy arse out of bed. It was because he felt something warm and wet sliding over his morning hard on. He looked down, wishing he could be woken up every morning this way. Hermione had her mouth wrapped around his cock and he could feel her bare breasts pressing against his thighs.  
  
Absent mindedly, he pressed his hand down on his alarm clock, as its annoying sounds were distracting him from feeling Hermione loving him with her mouth.  
  
Hermione looked up at him, seeing he was fully awake now. Ron almost came on the spot from seeing her look at him while she had his dick sliding in and out of her mouth.  
  
"A bloke could get used to this," he said with a groan. He tried to keep his voice low as Harry was still rolled on his side seemingly asleep.  
  
Hermione let his dick slide out of her mouth and began stroking him with her hands. "You have to get up, Ron. You've got your interview this morning."  
  
It all came back to him why he had set his alarm on a Saturday morning. As much as he wanted the job with the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he would have preferred to stay in bed all day with Hermione like this.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere until you finish," he said to her.  
  
She would have been very surprised if he had. She let go of his cock and bent forward wrapping her tongue around his length. She gave him a few more teasing licks before removing her mouth from him and mounting herself over his hips so he slid into her effortlessly. She rolled her hips and impaled herself on his cock. Ron didn't lie still for long. He matched her thrusts, rocking his hips up against hers, and their movements became more frantic and desperate with each thrust. Ron sat up slightly and reached up to fondle her breasts. Hermione threw her head back and moaned as he roughly kneaded the mounds of flesh. She continued grinding herself against him until she felt the beginnings of an orgasm building up inside her. Then she came with Ron's pulsating cock still inside her. Once she clenched her muscles around him, Ron thrust madly up into her a few more times before he came as well.  
  
She collapsed forward onto his chest with Ron's cock still buried deep inside her.  
  
"Bloody brilliant," Ron whispered, kissing the top of her head.  
  
She stayed snuggled up against him but turned her head towards Harry, knowing it was impossible for him to still be asleep after all the noise she and Ron had been making. "I know you're awake, Harry," she said to his back.  
  
"I was asleep," he muttered grumpily and rolled onto his back.  
  
"But now you're fully awake," she noted, seeing the way the sheets were tented around his crotch.  
  
"And no thanks to you two," he added. "Can't you even shag quietly?"  
  
"Come on mate, you know Hermione can't do anything quietly."  
  
Hermione slapped him hard on the shoulder and rolled off of him.  
  
"Where are you going?" He said, trying to wrap his arms around her waist but she wouldn't let him.  
  
"We had a deal. Now you have to get up or you're going to be late for your interview," she said, sliding closer to Harry on the bed.  
  
Knowing it was futile to try once she sounded like that, Ron gave up and rolled out of bed.  
  
"You two just keep lying there while my Saturday is ruined," said a sarcastic Ron, when Harry and Hermione continued lay there in his bed. Then he walked out of the bedroom to use the shower in the bathroom he shared with Hermione across the hall.  
  
"Sorry, we woke you," Hermione said, lying on her side looking at Harry.  
  
"I have to get up in another hour for practice anyways."  
  
Hermione knew he had practice on Saturday and then again on Sunday because he would play his first match with the team on Monday. "I wish I wasn't working so I could come to your match," she said to him. "But you must have some weekend games, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, about a month from now." He still hadn't told her Cho was the other Seeker on the team and knew he would have to do that before she watched any of his matches. He felt guilty for not telling her and didn't know why. It wasn't as if he had any feelings for Cho. They were just teammates after all, so what was the big deal?  
  
"Harry?" She said when he grew quiet.  
  
"Sorry, I was just thinking about the match," he lied.  
  
"I wonder what could take your mind off of Quidditch," said Hermione a second before she leaned forward and kissed him.  
  
It had the desired effect because Harry forgot all about Cho and Quidditch. He pulled Hermione top of him, running his hands down over her back as he deepened the kiss. Then he moved them back up along her sides, grazing the sides of her breasts.  
  
"Harry," she softly moaned his name.  
  
"Sorry, I don't have my glasses on so I can't see where my hands are," he said, grinning at her.  
  
"Unless you're totally blind you can see me perfectly," she responded, kissing his chest. "How do you want me, Harry?"  
  
He groaned. He would never get used to hearing Hermione talk like this. Instead of answering, he flipped her onto her stomach. He moved her hair out of the way and kissed his way across the back of her shoulders.  
  
He stopped near her ear, saying, "I love you, you know that right?"  
  
She was taken aback by just how serious his tone was then. She turned slightly to caress his face. "I love you too, Harry." She searched his face for some clue as to his sudden change in behaviour but his face was expressionless. Then he kissed her hand and started trailing kisses down her back. When he reached her buttocks he gave both of them a loving kiss before positioning his body overtop of hers. He gently prodded her arse cheeks apart and then nudged his cock against her tight entrance.  
  
Hermione moaned into the pillow as Harry pushed himself further inside of her before he started moving in and out of her.  
  
Harry gripped the back of her hips, giving himself more leverage to pound into her. It wasn't long before the force of his thrusts were propelling Hermione deep into the mattress. He slid one hand around to the curls between her legs and began fingering her dripping cunt.  
  
When Harry began to feel his dick twitching inside her, he started thrusting into her at a frenzied pace. After he was cumming hard inside her, he kept frantically working Hermione's cunt with his fingers bringing her to orgasm as well. Spent, Harry collapsed onto the bed beside her with a grunt.  
  
"That was intense," was all Hermione could think of to say. She was sure she would be walking funny for the rest of the day.  
  
"I guess I got a little carried away," he said sheepishly.  
  
"I'm not complaining," she assured him. She wanted to ask what his declaration of love had been about earlier, but he was already moving off the bed to get dressed.  
  
"I thought you didn't have to get up for another hour," she said, watching him dress.  
  
"I don't, but it would probably be a good idea if I got up now, since it's way too tempting to stay in bed with you," he said to her. "Wood would kill me if I was late."  
  
Harry padded out of the bedroom in his pajama pants and t-shirt and Hermione decided she might as well get up too.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Since Wood worked them so hard at practice, Harry found it easier to go on an empty stomach and just have a coffee beforehand. Wood frowned on any kind of caffeine supplements and had even given the team a recommended diet to follow. Harry had glanced at it once before burying it at the bottom of his Quidditch bag. He wasn't giving up his morning coffee and he had played well enough at school eating whatever he wanted, so he wasn't about to change his diet now.  
  
He was just pouring the freshly brewed coffee into his mug when he heard the all too familiar sounds of Ron and Hermione bickering in the background. His weekends normally started out like this with them having a go at each other for one reason or another. Not surprisingly, this argument was about how much of a slob Ron was. Harry would never understand how they could shag like mad and be in a relationship together and yet still be able to tear each other's throats out without any lasting effects.  
  
"For the hundredth time, Ron, your mother doesn't live here," Hermione snapped. "Don't leave your towels all over the bathroom floor."  
  
"Do you always have to be on my back about every little thing?" Ron shouted. "I'm sorry I'm not some neat freak like you!"  
  
"You're the complete opposite of neat. You're an absolute slob!"  
  
"You knew that before we moved in here, so deal with it!"  
  
"Just because you enjoy living in a pigsty doesn't mean I'm going to live that way."  
  
"If we just got a bloody house elf you wouldn't have to worry about my mess at all."  
  
Harry cringed. That was the worst thing Ron could have said. They knew how sensitive Hermione was about house elves and their rights.  
  
"We are not getting a house elf," Hermione stated, her tone firm. "I've worked too hard to get these new house elf legislations passed to become a hypocrite by having one in my own house."  
  
"Your house?" Ron cried. "Have you forgotten you live with two other people? Just because you say something doesn't make it the final word around here. You can't just boss me and Harry around like when we were at school."  
  
Harry tried to shut them out after that, and was thankful for the distraction of an owl flying through the open kitchen window to deliver Hermione's morning copy of the Daily Prophet.  
  
Normally Harry avoided reading the wizarding paper unless he absolutely had to, since the Prophet had had a love-hate relationship with him since the day he first set foot in Hogwarts. But the headline in big bold letters on the cover caught his attention, making his blood run cold. He snatched the paper off the table and started to read the article on the front page:  
  
  
  
Dementors Still Roam Free Despite Aurors Best Efforts  
  
  
  
It was thought that last June when He Who Must Not Be Named was defeated by Harry Potter a second time, that all the Dementors loyal to him had been captured by the Aurors and banished back to Azkaban. But after a terrifying attack last night in the town of Sussex, the Daily Prophet has learned this is no longer the case.  
  
A swarm of Dementors showed up at muggle park last night, performing their horrific Dementors Kiss on a group of teenagers who were hanging out there at the time. No Aurors sent to the scene would confirm if the Dementors have been breeding again or if this was just an isolated case, with these Dementors having somehow escaped the Ministry's sweep across Britain more than three months earlier.  
  
  
  
"Harry, would you tell her  "  
  
Ron came strolling into the kitchen with Hermione hot on his heels but Harry held up his hand to silence him.  
  
  
  
The Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, is asking the wizarding community not to panic and for everyone to go about their daily routines as they normally would until the Ministry concludes its investigation into this attack.  
  
For the complete story, please turn to page 5.  
  
  
  
Harry handed the newspaper to Ron so his friends could see what he had been reading. Hermione moved beside Ron, their argument forgotten as she quickly skimmed through the article.  
  
Harry sat there in his chair unmoving. How could there still be Dementors on the loose? The Ministry had publicly stated they had recaptured every Dementor and forced them back to Azkaban. Even Moody had sworn there weren't any still roaming Britain.  
  
"This is awful," Hermione said, when she finished reading.  
  
"Asking the wizarding community not to panic?" Ron scoffed. "Yeah, right. Everyone still remembers all the Dementor Kisses that were performed last year. There's no way people aren't going to panic."  
  
"Harry? Harry, are you there?" The voice of Remus Lupin could be heard calling from the living room.  
  
Harry leapt out of his chair and planted himself in front of the fireplace where the glowing green-flamed head of Lupin was hovering.  
  
"I take it you've seen the Prophet this morning," Lupin's disembodied head said, taking note of Harry's grim expression.  
  
"Did these Dementors escape from Azkaban?" Harry asked him.  
  
"I don't know," Lupin admitted. "I haven't talked to Tonks since yesterday. She's been with Moody and the other Aurors all night taking the ones involved in the attack back to Azkaban. From what Arthur's told me, they've already begun an investigation at Azkaban to see if all the Dementors there are accounted for. Tonks says all the reports she's gotten in the last two months indicate the Dementors are behaving and not leaving the island looking for other sources of food, so last night's attack is a bit of a mystery at the moment."  
  
Hermione and Ron came into the living room to stand behind a kneeling Harry, who was extremely close to the fireplace.  
  
"Harry, there's nothing you can do. You, Ron, and Hermione just need to sit tight until we have some more information. Moody's called an emergency Order meeting for tonight. As soon as he and Tonks get back from Azkaban I'll let you know. I'll contact you later, Harry."  
  
Then Lupin's head vanished from his fireplace before Harry could ask any more of the dozens of questions burning in his mind.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Moody and Tonks didn't get back from Azkaban until well into the evening, so it was after nine o'clock before everyone was assembled at The Burrow looking for an update on the Dementors. Those present aside from the Aurors included Harry, Ron, Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and Bill, who had left Fleur at home. They were all crowded around the kitchen table at the Weasley home.  
  
Ron had gotten the job with the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He had been informed of that right at the end of his second interview. Unfortunately, it had been overshadowed by the Dementor situation.  
  
"The Dementor manifesto at Azkaban shows all the Dementors are still accounted for," Moody began, sounding more grizzled than usual. "The ones we picked up last night are new ones."  
  
"How can that be if all of them were recaptured in the summer?" Mrs. Weasley said, sounding puzzled.  
  
"We don't know if all of them were recaptured, Molly," said Tonks, looking exhausted, her pink hair slightly frizzy.  
  
Ron's eyes widened at this. "But you said  "  
  
"Yes, I remember the statement the Minister gave to the press," Moody cut in. "He did that to avoid a mass panic. There was no way for us to be completely sure we caught every last Dementor."  
  
"How come they're suddenly appearing now?" Bill asked. "It's been months and this is the first attack there's been.  
  
"We think they're breeding again," Tonks said wearily. "There weren't as many of them still free as when You-Know-Who was in power, so it's taken longer. We think they've been lying low to build up their numbers before they start feeding openly. This attack suggests they may have already reached a large enough number."  
  
"What is the Ministry doing about it?" Harry asked the Aurors.  
  
"The Ministry still has its hands full trying to round up the remaining Death Eaters who have gone into hiding since You-Know-Who fell," said Tonks. "They haven't caused much trouble so far, but we can't let them find another fanatical leader and build their numbers up again. There's also such a depletion in Aurors since the war ended, the Minister can't spare as many as he would like to search for these Dementors."  
  
"That means the Order is going to have to step up and find what Dementors we can," said Moody. "Lupin, I hope you'll agree to give us a hand."  
  
Lupin nodded. "Of course.  
  
"And Potter, since you're the only other one here who doesn't have a regular nine to five job, and your Patronus is stronger than some of the ones produced by the Aurors, I'd like you to help out as well."  
  
"Alastor, you can't possibly ask Harry to do that," Mrs. Weasley said instantly. "He did his job defeating You-Know-Who and he's playing Quidditch professionally now. You can't expect him to take on something like this."  
  
"We all have to make sacrifices," Moody said gruffly. "But I think Potter's old enough to decide for himself," the Auror finished, fixing Harry with a hardened look.  
  
"I'll do it," said Harry before anyone else could speak on his behalf. He didn't look at his friends, already knowing what their expressions would hold.  
  
Mrs. Weasley was torn between being angry at Moody for even suggesting such a thing and expressing worry for Harry.  
  
"Tonks and I need to get back to the Ministry," Moody announced, standing up. "We've got another all-nighter ahead of us, tracking down wherever these Dementors are hiding before they can do any more harm."  
  
The Order meeting was adjourned after that and Harry was one of the first to leave The Burrow. Since only Grimmauld Place was hooked up to the fireplace in his house, he would have to apparate home.  
  
"Harry, wait," Hermione called after him when it was just the three of them alone outside. "You can't be serious about hunting down Dementors."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because you know how much they affect you. Tonks and Moody have been in the presence of Dementors since last night and they look ready to fall apart. If it were you  "  
  
"I can handle it," Harry cut her off.  
  
"Harry, at least think about it," said Ron. "This isn't your problem. The Ministry screwed up, let them deal with it."  
  
"I can't," Harry said. "It's not as if they've ever been able to clean up their own messes in the past."  
  
"Harry  "  
  
"This isn't a group decision, Hermione," he snapped. "It's my life and my choice to make."  
  
Without another word Harry disapparated.


	9. Chapter Nine

As Hermione sat alone in The Three Broomsticks she wished she had owled Ginny last night, saying she had to postpone their meeting for work related reasons. While that wasn't true, it was better than her sitting there for over a half an hour on her own, worrying herself silly over her current situation.  
  
She was late. Five days to be exact. Her period had sometimes come late because of stress but it had never been this late before. She was somewhat stressed from work but she doubted very much that that was the problem given that this was her first time being late since she had got together with Ron and Harry.  
  
She was having sex regularly with two different males and after she hadn't got her period on schedule, she had done some research on the contraceptive potion she was taking. It was designed to be most effective when the female in question only had one partner or was sleeping with multiple people but a certain amount of time had passed between moving onto another partner. That wasn't the case with Hermione. She was having sex with both boys and a lot of the time there wasn't more than a few minutes between shagging each of them.  
  
How could she have been so stupid? How could she have not read those finer points of the contraceptive spell? She had been naïve to think that everything would be fine as long as she brewed the potion correctly and took it when required. She hadn't even considered the possibility that the potion wouldn't be as effective if she was shagging both boys on a continuous basis. If she had she could have taken some extra preventative measures maybe even made the boys wear condoms when they were together.  
  
She kept all this to herself. She wanted to tell Ron and Harry so she wouldn't be the only one freaking out but she couldn't bring herself to do so. The smart thing to do would be to go to St. Mungo's and get tested by a Healer, instead of making herself sick with worry. But she had yet to work up the courage to even schedule an appointment because she was afraid she already knew what the results would say.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I'm late," said Ginny, sliding into the seat in the booth across from Hermione. "Fred and George bought the old Zonko's joke shop about a month ago and have been fixing it up so they can open just in time for Christmas. They insisted on showing me all the clever new holiday products they've come up with."  
  
"That's okay. I think I'd rather be waiting here than have your brothers tying to test their joke stuff out on me."  
  
"They usually only test stuff out on themselves now. It's a big liability issue if they start using it on other people now that they have their own business."  
  
"I would have thought you'd be meeting Dean during a Hogsmeade weekend," Hermione commented.  
  
"I can meet Dean anytime," the younger girl said, blushing.  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
Ginny shrugged innocently. "I am the sister of Fred and George Weasley, remember? It's my duty to make good use of the secret passages surrounding Hogwarts. Of course it would make sneaking around much easier if I had Harry's map." At the mention of Harry's name, Ginny saw Hermione's face fall a little. "How's Harry?" She asked Hermione.  
  
"I wouldn't know," responded Hermione. "Since he started chasing after Dementors almost two weeks ago Ron and I have barely seen him. He either locks himself in his room or is playing Quidditch when he isn't hunting down Dementors. Your brother keeps telling me to stop nagging him about taking on things on that are no longer his responsibility."  
  
"So the honeymoon's finally over, huh?"  
  
"What?" Hermione sputtered.  
  
"You know, you three living together and everything being perfect," Ginny clarified. "Certain issues or problems are bound to happen."  
  
"Ron and I have issues all right," Hermione muttered.  
  
"Tell me, how bad is it really?"  
  
Hermione hadn't complained to anyone about living with the boys. She actually hadn't felt the need to talk about it with anyone, but now that Ginny was offering, she didn't turn her down. "Your brother has no idea how to pick up after himself," Hermione began. "I always knew he was messy but I didn't think he was a complete slob."  
  
"You can thank our mum for that," said Ginny. "She's been cleaning up after him for eighteen years."  
  
"I'm certainly not about to start doing that," Hermione stated evenly. "Honestly, one day he's going to come home and I'll have obliviated everything he's left on the floor and that will teach him."  
  
"Not likely, but it would still be worth a laugh," said Ginny, who was laughing herself. "Harry can't be nearly as bad as my brother though. I know those nasty muggles used to make him clean everything."  
  
"I have no problems with Harry's domestic skills," she told Ginny. "It's just Harry's the type of person who needs his space. He likes being with Ron and me  you know hanging out together," she added quickly, hoping her face wasn't too red. "But he also likes to be alone. It's not so much to brood like when we were in school, that's just how he is. Sometimes I wonder why he didn't just live on his own because I think he would be happier not having anyone around."  
  
"Just remember if you survived sharing a dorm with Lavender and Parvati for six years, living with Harry and Ron should be a breeze," Ginny said to her.  
  
"It used to be like that, but now it's like we've all invaded each other's space," Hermione admitted.  
  
"No one said living with two guys would be all fun and games."  
  
"It's not. I don't know how Harry and Ron do it but I'm not living off of crisps and beer," she said in an adamant voice.  
  
"I didn't think you would," Ginny said with a giggle.  
  
Hermione sighed. "I suppose lately Ron and I have been giving each other more of a hard time because we're worried about Harry."  
  
"My mum's the same. She owled me the day after Moody asked Harry to help hunt down Dementors. After reading what she had to say about Moody, I no longer wonder where Ron and I get our tempers from."  
  
"I agree with your mum. Moody had no business asking for Harry's help because he knew Harry would feel obligated to. Harry's already done enough and he's moving on with his life. He shouldn't have to deal with this."  
  
"That's the way Harry is," Ginny told her friend. "He likes to play the tragic hero."  
  
Hermione wished he would stop doing that and just be Harry.  
  
"So anything new with you?" Ginny asked her.  
  
Oh, not really, except that I might be pregnant and if I am the father could be your brother, Hermione thought to herself. "No really. I'm pretty busy at the Ministry though."  
  
Hermione didn't want to talk too much about herself, so she turned the conversation around to ask Ginny how school was. That led Ginny into a twenty minute rant about all the homework the teachers were piling on to prepare them for the N.E.W.T.s, along with her responsibilities as Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.  
  
Hermione was more than happy to listen, as it helped her forget about her own problems for a while.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
When Hermione finished with Ginny in The Three Broomsticks, she took her time getting back home. That was definitely not a good sign if she was avoiding her home life, but she was sick of fighting with Ron over every little thing. Since Harry was also prone to snapping her and Ron's heads off as of late, maybe giving each other a little space was in order.  
  
But after spending the afternoon pretending that she didn't have a potentially larger problem on her hands, Hermione knew she couldn't remain in denial about the possibility of being pregnant any longer. She would go to St. Mungo's on Monday after work and get tested. The sooner she got that over with the sooner she could go over her options if she was indeed pregnant.  
  
When she finally apparated home and walked inside, she was more than a little surprised to find Ron in the kitchen, pointing his wand at the dishes and trying to get them to wash themselves.  
  
Ron saw her in the kitchen doorway and said, "ruddy cleaning charms. You think my mum could have taught me one that works better."  
  
"Your mum has been using them for over thirty years so I think she has a bit of an advantage over you," said Hermione.  
  
"How's Ginny?" Ron asked her.  
  
Now she felt a little guilty dumping on him and Harry to Ginny. At least Ron was trying now it seemed, which was more than she could say for Harry.  
  
"She's fine." She left out the part where Ginny was sneaking out to meet Dean. Ron was better off not knowing that. "She wanted to know when her prat of a brother was going to owl her again."  
  
The tips of Ron's ears reddened. "I've been meaning to but with work and everything I keep forgetting." He put the now rinsed off dishes into the drying rack.  
  
"Meeting with Quidditch team owners sounds like a lot of hard work," Hermione teased.  
  
Ron just grinned. He loved his job but he wasn't about to start sounding like Hermione and go around saying it, and he certainly wasn't going to bring work home either  unless it involved attending a Quidditch match.  
  
They heard the front door open and Harry walked in wearing thick dark black robes that almost made him look like a ghost his skin was so pale. He stared at his friends but Hermione felt more like he was looking straight through them, before taking off down the hall.  
  
"There's a surprise, Harry looks like shit," remarked Ron.  
  
"He was gone this morning even before I got up." She wanted to follow him and Ron just gave her a shrug that said it's your funeral.  
  
Hermione went after him anyways. The door to his room was shut but she could hear the sound of water running from the shower, so when he didn't answer she just walked in. She knocked on the door to the bathroom and received a very tired, "what?" in response.  
  
She took that as close to an invitation as she would receive and walked in.  
  
Harry was leaning against the sink with his shirt off but the rest of his clothes still on, as if he were too tired to undress. She saw the bruises and marks on his chest and knew they couldn't all be from Quidditch.  
  
"How was it today?"  
  
"The same as every other day," he replied in a flat emotionless tone.  
  
This was not the Harry she was used to seeing. She hardly recognized him anymore. He hadn't shaved in days and his face had sunken in a little, matching the long dark circles under his eyes. He looked worse than he had during the darkest days of the war. She could only imagine what horrifying events the Dementors were forcing him to relive.  
  
"Do you want me to heal those cuts and bruises?" She asked him.  
  
"No, it's fine."  
  
She couldn't hold back any longer. This was dangerous territory with Harry because he had lost his temper during all previous conversations they had had about it. "How long are you going to keep this up?"  
  
"As long as I have to," he replied instantly.  
  
"This is killing you."  
  
"Better me than those who don't stand a chance of defending themselves."  
  
"Harry, this isn't living  it's barely existing. You're like a zombie, walking around here in a trance. You're barely holding yourself together. Something is going to happen  "  
  
"Enough, Hermione," he cut in sharply. "I don't need another lecture from you on how the Dementors are bad for my health. I'm doing the job I was asked to do by the Order. I don't give a fuck if you don't agree with my decision, so just leave me the hell alone and go back to nagging Ron."  
  
Even if he hadn't turned so his back was facing her, she would have left. She was done trying to get through to him. If he was so eager to wither and die, then he could go right ahead and do that. She wondered if she did turn out to be pregnant and the baby was Harry's, would he even care?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Ron normally slept like the dead. It usually took a good ribbing in the side from Hermione's elbow or his alarm clock yelling at him to get him out of bed, and even that didn't work sometimes. But when he was woken up in the middle of the night by someone yelling, he was alert instantly. Hermione was already sitting up in bed beside him and they knew it was Harry having another nightmare.  
  
In the beginning they had taken turns going to wake him up but they seemed to be happening so frequently and sometimes twice a night that they both went into his room together.  
  
They were in Hermione's bed, and since his was directly across the hall from Harry's they could hear him clearly.  
  
Ron swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet. Harry's encounters with the Dementors were starting to take a toll on him and Hermione as well. They were fighting constantly and although Hermione agreed to sleep with him she didn't want to shag or do anything else. Harry had stopped sharing a bed with them a week ago and Ron figured it was because of the nightmares. He was trying to hide them, but they were so bad now he couldn't even do that by sleeping in his own bed.  
  
He padded barefoot across the hall with Hermione, opening Harry's closed door and walking right in. Through the moonlight coming in through his window they could see the blankets tangled up in his legs as he thrashed wildly in his bed.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry yelled out.  
  
"Harry, wake up," Ron said, shaking him by the shoulders. It took several more tries before Harry bolted up in bed, his breathing sounding like he had just come from one of Wood's Quidditch practices.  
  
"Sirius?" He said, his eyes whirling around the room.  
  
"Harry, it's all right, you were just having a nightmare," Hermione said soothingly, coming over to the bed.  
  
"I saw him," said Harry. "He's still alive. He's just waiting behind the veil for me to rescue him."  
  
Hermione and Ron exchanged concerned looks, which Harry took no notice of. He had not been delusional like this after any of his other previous nightmares.  
  
"Harry, Sirius is dead," Ron said carefully.  
  
"No, he's not," Harry insisted, a manic gleam in his eyes to go with his wild hair that was sticking up in every direction. "He's just behind the veil waiting for me to pull him out."  
  
"If there was a way to get Sirius out, the Department of Mysteries would have found it," said Hermione.  
  
"I bet they haven't even tried," said Harry raking his hands through his hair. "No one's tried."  
  
He stopped talking about Sirius after that. He was calmer now but he wasn't saying anything. He just sat there in his bed holding his head in his hands. Now that he had calmed down, Ron figured it was best if they leave him alone.  
  
He gently tugged on Hermione's arm, taking her out of the room with him. Harry didn't say anything as they left.  
  
When he and Hermione got back into bed, Ron didn't think either one of them slept much the rest of the night.


	10. Chapter Ten

Harry had never been more grateful for practice to be over. He and Cho had done their normal routine of splitting the time between themselves, and then when Wood made them go after the Snitch together, Cho had easily beat him to it all the three times. Wood kept yelling at him to get his head in the game, and it wasn't as if he wasn't trying to, he just couldn't focus. He hard enough time keeping himself from falling off his broom, and even that was difficult as he kept losing his grip.  
  
Wood wasn't as hard on him as he normally would be because in all appearances Harry looked like he was fighting off some deathly plague or just a really bad bout of the flu. He had the chills and was sweating before he even took to the air.  
  
The voices in his head made it difficult to concentrate. Every time he heard his mother's dying screams or Sirius's voice, it was like he would black out while he was still awake and not take in anything around him. He felt like he was always around the Dementors even when he was many hundreds of miles away from them. He couldn't shake off the hold they had on him and it kept intensifying with every mission Moody sent him on.  
  
For the most part he had stopped talking to Ron and Hermione. They would just tell him he needed to stop going after Dementors and he had listened to that broken record enough times that he tuned them out whenever they brought it up. They didn't understand why he had to do this and he had long since given up trying to explain his reasons to them.  
  
"Nice practice, Harry," said Cho as he was packing up his bag to leave.  
  
He didn't need to be fully aware of what was going on around him to hear the sarcasm embedded in her voice.  
  
"I don't need you to start on me too," he said harshly. "I got enough of that from Wood today."  
  
"What's wrong with you?" She wanted to know. "You've been completely off your game for a while now. I've never flown circles around you like I have these last two practices. You usually never let me get that close to the Snitch."  
  
"I'm just feeling a little under the weather," he lied. Even though the Ministry had admitted they had a slight Dementor problem on their hands, Harry wasn't working for the Ministry so he couldn't reveal what he was doing without exposing the Order.  
  
"I'm sure the rest of the team would like to know when you're going to be back to yourself."  
  
"Even Harry Potter has bad days," he said irritably.  
  
"Bad weeks are more like it," she noted.  
  
She was probably right so he said nothing. He had lost track of how long he had been going after the Dementors that still remained outside Azkaban  and there were quite a lot of them.  
  
"I thought you should know that Wood's playing me the next game," she said, changing topics.  
  
There were no surprises there. After seeing his reaction time and playing ability at practice Harry wouldn't have played himself in a match either.  
  
"The rest of the team is heading down to O'Malley's for a drink, are you coming?" She asked him.  
  
He was going to say he'd rather go home, but it didn't feel much like home these days. He wasn't feeling much of anything anymore that wasn't linked to death or pain in some way. If anything, a few drinks would help wash away the hollowness he was feeling inside.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
At her wits end about Harry, Hermione went to the only person who she thought might be able to help.  
  
Lupin didn't look surprised when she showed up in the fireplace of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. He offered to make tea and they went to sit in the kitchen together.  
  
"You don't seem surprised to see me," she said when he handed her a steaming mug of tea.  
  
"It was difficult to miss the troubled look on your face when you stepped out of the fireplace," Lupin said, sitting down across from her. "You're here about Harry."  
  
She nodded, taking solace in the brief warmness the tea provided.  
  
"Hermione, I'm not sure how much I can help you. I've already talked to Harry myself several times but he refuses to listen. Short of Alastor ordering him to stop hunting Dementors I don't think there's anything we can do."  
  
"Would Moody do that?" She said.  
  
"Unless something happened while Harry was on a mission I very much doubt that. You have to understand that Alastor has a completely different mindset from you or I," he said, seeing her angry expression. "He's a hardened Auror who's been dealing with evil like the Dementors for more than forty years. He doesn't believe in such things as compassion. Moody views everyone as a potential enemy and he believes in getting the job done no matter what. He treats Harry as he would any other person under his command and expects nothing less than the best from him."  
  
"Remus, the Dementors are killing Harry. His personality has completely changed. It's like they're sucking away his soul without having to perform the kiss."  
  
Remus gave her a pained look. "Tonks and I have noticed that when we've been partnered with him."  
  
She had forgotten Remus and Tonks were also out there as much as Harry. She was almost certain that was the reason behind the few extra grey hairs on Remus's head and the haggard look on his face he usually only wore when it was close to a full moon.  
  
"Is the Dementor problem getting any better?" She asked him.  
  
"We've cleared out a few nests and the Aurors have done about the same. We're searching areas with unusually high or thick amounts of fog for this time of year. That's a good indicator for Dementor breeding grounds, but we still have a lot of places to search in England. Scrimgeour is also thinking about doing a sweep through Scotland and Ireland as well."  
  
"So it could be months or longer before the rest of the Dementors are found?" She wasn't sure she wanted to think about the kind of person Harry would be if that happened.  
  
"It looks that way," Remus admitted with a weary sigh.  
  
"And so Harry just keeps going after them until it kills him?" She said, not bothering to mask the anger in her voice but it wasn't directed at Remus.  
  
Remus didn't have an answer for her. But she knew how close he was to Harry and that he must be as worried as she and Ron were. But Harry didn't live with Remus. Remus didn't wake up to hearing Harry having nightmares or seeing the emptiness in his eyes when he looked at her and Ron like he didn't even know them.  
  
All that combined with her own nerves had her blurt out, "I'm pregnant."  
  
The mug Remus had been holding slipped out his hands and shattered, making a mess all over the table. He pulled out his wand and cleaned it up absentmindedly. The expression he wore was one that there was nothing else she could have said to make him look more shocked than he was as the impact of her statement set in.  
  
She didn't know what force had possessed her to tell him. She had been walking around with that burden inside her since finding out her results from the Healer. She couldn't go to Ron or Harry and she had no one else she could talk to. But Remus knew about their relationship and had indicated to Harry he was in support of it. He wouldn't be her first choice to confide in but who else could she turn to? She had never felt so overwhelmed in her life. She was barely nineteen, she couldn't have a baby and she knew neither Ron or Harry were ready to be a father.  
  
"How far along are you?" Remus finally spoke.  
  
"The Healer I saw thinks I'm a little over five weeks," she said, looking anywhere but at Remus. She felt so ashamed that she could let something like this happen.  
  
"Is it Harry's?"  
  
"I don't know if it's Harry's or Ron's." She was too numb to feel embarrassed.  
  
"I take it you haven't told them."  
  
She shook her head, feeling like she was on the verge of tears. She had never been more scared. Suddenly facing down a group of Death Eaters paled in comparison to what she was being forced to deal with now.  
  
"You need to tell them," he said in an eerily calm voice.  
  
Her head snapped up and she gaped at him. "That's all you have to say?"  
  
"I don't think you need me to tell you that the three of you together should have been more responsible. I'm sure you've already punished yourself enough for that."  
  
She had but it still didn't feel like enough.  
  
"Ultimately, the decision of what to do is yours but at least tell Ron and Harry, hear what they have to say," Remus urged her.  
  
Hermione let out a bitter laugh. "Harry walks around like he's in some kind of a trance and Ron and I are barely speaking as it is."  
  
"It's not as if you three haven't been through difficult times before. I know this isn't the same thing but you're in a relationship, which means you work through things together."  
  
Remus sounded like he was taking her situation personally but she was too caught up in her own thoughts to ask him about it.  
  
"I'll talk to Harry again about the Dementors," Remus said after a long stretch of silence passed between them. "I hope you'll do the same and talk to him and Ron."  
  
She wasn't sure she could promise that so she sat there saying nothing.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Ron wasn't in the mood to go to The Burrow for dinner but after his mother had asked him to bring Harry and Hermione with him, he knew he had to at least show up. He didn't really have to lie either about them not coming with him. Harry still hadn't come back from practice and he had no idea where Hermione was. So he just told his mum he didn't know when they'd be home and she was happy enough to have him come for a visit.  
  
He knew he was bound to get an earful when he got to The Burrow about not visiting more often. He loved his parents but he had his own life now, so what if he didn't want to show up there once a week? At least once the summer hit Ginny would be back, and since she hadn't yet mentioned any plans about moving out, his mother could spend her days fussing over his sister.  
  
He was just going to apparate straight there so he didn't bother putting on gloves. He just pulled on his winter cloak and reached for the door handle, nearly getting hit in the face by Harry who was walking in at the same time.  
  
"Sorry," Harry mumbled an apology and stepped inside.  
  
This close to him, Ron could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Where have you been?"  
  
"I went to the pub with Cho and the rest of the team," he said, feeling the need to add that last part.  
  
"For a little team bonding?"  
  
Harry let out a frustrated breath of air. "We've been through this. She doesn't mean anything to me. We play on the same team and that's all."  
  
Ron believed him the first time he said it but Harry had been acting like such a wanker for weeks now he felt like picking a fight with him.  
  
"I guess I'm the last to know that she's on your team," said a new voice.  
  
Harry and Ron both turned their heads, seeing Hermione standing there by the fireplace where she had just come from.  
  
"I've been meaning to tell you," Harry said to her.  
  
"You're just working yourself up for it, right? You've been playing for Puddlemere United for over two months now."  
  
"It's not my fault you don't follow Quidditch and didn't know she was on the damn team," Harry snapped.  
  
"Back off, Harry," Ron warned.  
  
"Why the hell should I?" Harry said, taking a dangerous step towards Ron. "You both obviously don't trust me. Do I give either of you a hard time about your exes?"  
  
"We're not seeing our exes practically every day," said Hermione. "And any past relationships Ron and I have had clearly ended and there was nothing more to come from them. You and Cho on the other hand have a lot of unresolved issues."  
  
Harry's temper had reached the breaking point. "It sounds like you're hoping I'm going to tell you I still have feelings for her. What do you want me to say, Hermione? Do you want me to say that I think she's gorgeous and that she's a fantastic shag?"  
  
"Shut the fuck up, Harry!" Ron seethed, grabbing him by the collar of his robes and slamming him back against the wall.  
  
Hermione eyes widened in fear. This was getting dangerously out of hand. "Ron, don't," she pleaded.  
  
Ron ignored her, keeping his gaze focused on Harry. "Those Dementors are making you crazy and everyone around you can see it. Don't expect us to put up with your shit anymore."  
  
"I never asked you to in the first place!" Harry shouted. "Neither of you has to stay here. You're more than welcome to leave."  
  
"I think I've figured out why you won't stop going after the Dementors even though it's turning you into a bastard," said Ron, releasing his hold on Harry. "It's because you enjoy being miserable. You love to wallow in your own self pity because it's easier than dealing with what's going on around you."  
  
"You're right, Ron. I live to be miserable, which is why what happened last year with us meant nothing to me. It was just a way for me to pass the time until I found something else to brood over. It was nothing more than fucking by convenience."  
  
Ron's fist had already connected with Harry's jaw before Hermione could react.  
  
"Stop it!" Hermione shouted trying to get between them.  
  
Ron hit Harry again in the face, before Harry rammed a fist against Ron's gut, making him double over in pain before he slugged Ron in the jaw, sending the redhead staggering back against the wall.  
  
"Both of you stop it!" Hermione yelled frantically, finally getting between them. If they wanted to keep fighting they were going to have to go through her to do it, and judging by the resigned look on both their faces, they weren't ready to do that.  
  
Harry backed off but the fury burning in his eyes remained. He stalked towards the front door and yanked it open. He walked out, slamming it shut as hard as he could behind him.


	11. Chapter Eleven

"Finally remembered I existed, did you?" Said Ginny, giving her brother a quick embrace.

He grinned sheepishly as she let go of him. "Sorry, things have been a bit mad lately."  
  
Ginny gave a dramatic roll of her eyes. "Mum doesn't forget to mention in every one of her letters that another one of her son's is employed by the Ministry."  
  
That wasn't what Ron meant. "Do you want to grab a butterbeer?"  
  
"Can we do it later? I'd much rather just walk through Hogsmeade after being trapped inside all week. I know it's cold but I was beginning to forget what fresh air feels like."  
  
"Believe me, it gets much worse," said Ron, sounding much too gleeful for Ginny's liking. She swatted him on the arm for his comment.  
  
"I though you'd be at Harry's match," she said as they walked through the crowded streets mostly filled with Hogwarts students. "Isn't he playing today?"  
  
Ron shrugged, giving the impression he didn't care either way.  
  
"I figured you had a row," she said insightfully, "since he's living above the twins' shop in Diagon Alley."  
  
Ron stopped dead in his tracks. "He's living with the twins?"  
  
"I thought you knew," she said, taken aback. "They've got a couple of vacant rooms above the shop so he's staying there. How long has it been since you talked to him?"  
  
"Dunno. A week maybe?"  
  
"This isn't another one of those fights like the one you had in fourth year is it?" Ginny asked him.  
  
"Yeah, right. Harry's like a bloody corpse the way he's been walking around. I'm sure as hell not jealous about that."  
  
"Do you want to talk about?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"The fight you had," she said, slightly exasperated.  
  
"No," he said quickly.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Ron swore. "Because I don't need to talk to my sister about a fight I had with my best mate." He didn't want to talk about it and he was doing his best not to think about the last time he and Harry spoke. It hurt like hell hearing Harry talk about their relationship last year like it meant nothing to him, and he certainly couldn't talk to Ginny about that.  
  
"What does Hermione have to say about it?" Ginny said, trying a different approach.  
  
"I don't know. We're not talking much these days," said Ron, growing irritated. Hermione had pretty much lumped him in with Harry because he had known about Cho and kept it from her. "Can we talk about something else?"  
  
Ginny watched him with serious eyes. That must have been one hell of a fight if all three of them weren't talking.  
  
Ron knew that look. It was the one their mother got when she was out to find the truth and wasn't going to be stopped until she did. Short of him apparating away, Ginny wasn't likely to relent until she found out what was going on. He was sure even if he did apparate away, she would try and follow him, even if that meant breaking at least twenty school rules. He smiled inwardly. Ginny cared for the rules as much as he did it. She just went about breaking them in a much sneakier fashion. She was just like the twins in that way.  
  
"Can we get off the main path?" He said to her. He wasn't about to tell her anything in front of the dozens of people walking by every few seconds.  
  
They walked towards the section of Hogsmeade that was in the process of being rebuilt from a Death Eater attack last spring. Since it was the weekend none of the Ministry workers were there.  
  
He and Ginny took a seat on one of the empty benches still intact. They were far enough away from the rest of the people in the village that they were nothing more than a distant noise to them.  
  
"Harry and Hermione had a fight about Cho," he said, starting off with something easy.  
  
Ginny scrunched her face up in confusion. "Cho?"  
  
"Hermione didn't know she was on Harry's team."  
  
"Oh. I guess it's a good thing I didn't accidentally say something when I saw her. Wait a minute, why are they fighting about her?" She said, thinking it over. "Are Harry and Hermione involved?"  
  
Even if Ron had been able to lie he doubted very much his sister would have believed him.  
  
"God, Ron, I'm sorry. I know you've fancied her for ages but maybe she thought you were never going to say anything. Is that why Harry left? You two had a fight about his relationship with Hermione?"  
  
"I wish it was that easy," Ron said, running a rueful hand through his hair.  
  
Ginny waited for him to continue or at least make some sense of what he was saying.  
  
He might as well just get this over with. "We're all involved together," he said as quickly as possible.  
  
Ginny just sat there in stunned silence.  
  
When the seconds continued to tick by and she said nothing, he said, "Ginny?"  
  
She shook herself from her stupor. "Wow. That was... unexpected," she said finally.  
  
"I'm only telling you this because, oh hell, I don't know why I'm telling you this but you need to keep it to yourself."  
  
"I will," she said, still in shock. "Do mum and dad know? Is that why they allowed the three of you to live together?"  
  
"Of course mum and dad don't know!" He exclaimed. "Are you mad? Like I would ever tell them something like this. The only other person that knows is Remus and that's because he  "  
  
"Caught the three of you together?" Ginny said when he wouldn't finish.  
  
"No!" Ron practically shouted, his face and ears reddening. "He walked in on Harry and Hermione snogging  that's all," he insisted. He wasn't going to tell her what they had been about to do if Remus hadn't shown up when he had. "Harry told him what was going on because Remus thought he and Hermione were sneaking around behind my back."  
  
"It was more in front of your face, really," said Ginny, smirking.  
  
"Ginny!" He buried his face in his gloved hands. What had he been thinking telling her?  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, holding back her laughter. "Really, I promise not to make any more jokes about the threesome you have going on."  
  
Ron groaned. He might as well have just told the twins, but at least Ginny could keep a secret  he hoped.  
  
"But that still doesn't explain why Harry left," she said growing serious again.  
  
So Ron told her about the way Harry had been acting and how they had come to blows before he finally walked out. He made sure to leave out some of the things that were said. Ginny only needed a quick summary to understand what was going on.  
  
"Are the three of you breaking up?"  
  
"I don't know," Ron said truthfully. They had only been living together a few months and look how quickly things had fallen apart. Maybe the three of them in a relationship together had been doomed from the start and they had been foolish to think they could make it work.  
  
"Do you love them?"  
  
Ron's ears turned red again. "Don't ask me that." Wasn't it enough that she knew they were involved? Did she really need to hear a declaration of love from him?  
  
"Fine, don't answer," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But if you do then I'm sure the three of you will work it out. You've gotten through worse and still remained friends."  
  
The problem was Ron wasn't sure if by the time they worked through this there would even be a friendship left to salvage.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Harry felt strange walking into his own house, probably because he had only been back there once in almost a week, and that had just been to grab some of his things when he knew Hermione and Ron to be at work. That was why he had chosen to come back to get some more clothes in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday since it greatly reduced his chances of running into either one of them.  
  
But when he got to his bedroom door he discovered he wasn't the only one home. Hermione was curled up in the armchair in her room reading. She looked up, shocked to see Harry standing there but she stayed silent.  
  
"I thought you'd be at work," Harry said in a rough voice. It was unheard of for her to be home from the Ministry this early.  
  
"Someone was bringing in a crate of Niflers and they got out and into the walls. The department's going to be closed until they get them all out," she explained.  
  
Harry just inclined his head, giving a sort of brief nod before heading into his own room. He grabbed one of the duffle bags he had stored in his closet and brought it over to his dresser. He was packing clothes into it when Hermione appeared in his doorway.  
  
"You're taking more of your things with you?"  
  
"Yeah," he answered, keeping his eyes focused on the shirt he was stuffing into his bag.  
  
"Harry, you don't have to do this," she said coming into the room.  
  
"I think it's better for all of us if I'm not around right now," was his curt reply. "You're right, the Dementors are affecting me and I should be on my own."  
  
She hadn't expected it to come to this. "I know you feel like this is your responsibility but the Dementors are not your problem. You've saved the wizarding world twice. You're well within your right to enjoy your life."  
  
"Like you were well within your right to talk to Lupin about me?" He said, giving her a piercing look.  
  
"He's just as worried about you as I am," she said not bothering to deny it.  
  
"I've been taking care of myself since before I met you. I don't need you or Remus or anyone else interfering because you think your intentions are good."  
  
She winced at a pain in her stomach but Harry didn't notice because he was packing again. "So is this it?" She said, unable to keep her voice steady.  
  
"I don't know," he responded with his back to her.  
  
"It doesn't sound much like you care either," she snapped back.  
  
He threw his bag on the bed and spun around to face her. He had his mouth open to start yelling, when Hermione's face scrunched up in pain and she grabbed her stomach.  
  
Argument forgotten, he hurried to her side. "Hermione, what's wrong?"  
  
She couldn't answer him. She felt her knees starting to buckle from the pain but Harry was right there and caught her before she fell.  
  
"Tell me what's wrong," Harry said, his voice frantic.  
  
"Oh god, Harry, it hurts," she said through gritted teeth.  
  
That was all Harry needed to hear before he sprang into action. He scooped her up in his arms and hurried outside as fast as he could without jostling her too much. He pictured St. Mungo's in his mind and disapparated with Hermione barely conscious in his arms.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Ron ran blindly through St. Mungo's. He bumped shoulders with several people, who all turned to tell him to watch where he was going but Ron was already well passed them before they got the chance.  
  
He was sweating heavily with his work robes still on but he kept running until he found Harry pacing outside a hospital room.  
  
"What happened? Is she all right?" Ron asked out of breath. He had been at work until a letter from Harry had been delivered to his desk telling him to get to St. Mungo's because he had brought Hermione there.  
  
"I don't know what happened. She kept grabbing her stomach and saying she was in pain. The Healers have been in there with her since I brought her here," Harry answered, sounding as anxious as Ron.  
  
"Did you come home and find her that way?" Ron pressed.  
  
"No, she was fine. We were talking and then she just doubled over in pain," Harry explained.  
  
Ron ran a frantic hand through his hair. "Did you get in touch with her parents?"  
  
"Shit, I didn't even think about that. "I'll go downstairs and  "  
  
But Ron wasn't listening to Harry anymore. A Healer and a nurse came walking out of Hermione's room and he hurried towards them.  
  
"Is she all right?" Ron asked them.  
  
The Healer looked him over. "Are you family?"  
  
Ron didn't have time for some stupid hospital policy bullshit. "No, but we live with her," he said indicating to Harry. "How is she?"  
  
The Healer told the nurse to go on ahead and stayed there with Ron and Harry. "She's recovering just fine," the Healer informed him. "She's free to leave at any time. There's bound to be some pain but it should only last a few days. I've given her a pain-relieving potion she can take in the meantime. I'd like her to come back and see me in a week just to make sure everything is healing normally."  
  
"How much pain are we talking about?" Harry asked the Healer.  
  
"It varies from case to case. Some women experience severe cramps after a miscarriage and others are fine within a few days."  
  
"Mis  miscarriage?" Ron choked out.  
  
Harry turned even paler than Ron.  
  
The Healer realized he'd said too much. "I apologize. You said you lived together so I assumed you knew. You should go in and see your friend now. She'll be able to answer any questions you have."  
  
The Healer took off with an apologetic look leaving a shell-shocked Ron and Harry behind.  
  
One look at Harry was all it took for Ron to know that this was the first he had heard about Hermione's pregnancy as well.  
  
"Holy fuck, she was pregnant," said Ron backing up against the wall and grabbing the sides of his head. "She never said anything. How were we supposed to know?"  
  
Harry's expression was unreadable. He still hadn't spoken since the Healer had given them the news.  
  
"Come on, let's go in and see her," Ron said to Harry. For a moment Ron thought Harry was going to keep standing there but he followed Ron towards the door, who knocked once before walking in.  
  
Hermione had just finished changing back into her regular clothes when they walked in. She looked like she needed to be in bed. Her face was white and she was having some difficulty standing.  
  
Ron hurried towards her. He didn't want to hurt her so he just hugged her gently, saying softly, "why didn't you tell us you were pregnant?"  
  
Hermione pulled back from him, her eyes wide. How did he know?  
  
"The Healer told me and Harry by mistake," Ron went on. "I'm sorry."  
  
Hermione, who had been successfully holding herself together until that point, fell apart in Ron's arms.  
  
"Hermione?" Ron said worriedly as he stroked her hair.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's silly," she said wiping her eyes.  
  
"It's not silly. You just  you lost the baby," he said, swallowing hard.  
  
All this time she had kept telling herself that Ron wouldn't take the news of her pregnancy well. That he would freak out much the same way she had, and here he was holding her and whispering that he wasn't mad she had kept it secret while he softly stroked her hair. That was almost enough to set her off crying again.  
  
"They said we can take you home," Harry said in a thick voice.  
  
Ron had almost forgotten he was there and jumped a little at the sound of his voice.  
  
"Do you want to go home?" Ron asked her.  
  
She nodded and supported by Ron she made it to the door where Harry had remained standing since entering the room. He wouldn't make eye contact with her, but when she reached out to squeeze his hand, he squeezed back twice as hard.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Hermione rolled over onto her back at the sound of someone knocking on the front door. She stared at the ceiling, debating if it was worth getting out of bed to answer it. Harry and Ron both had keys, so it probably wasn't anyone important. Even if it was someone she knew, she was positive she looked a frightful mess and then she realized she didn't care what she looked like in her track pants and an oversized jumper of Ron's.  
  
When Hermione did open the door she was more than a little taken aback to see Remus standing there. "Remus? Why didn't you just use the floo?"  
  
He gave her a tiny smile. "This way you had the choice not to answer the door. If I had come by floo you would have felt obligated to have me stay."  
  
His answer was perfectly logical but Hermione's brain wasn't running on logic these days.  
  
"May I come in?" He asked her.  
  
"Harry's not here. I think he's at practice." She hadn't really been keeping track of the boys having been spending most of her time in her room.  
  
"That's all right. I thought I'd check in on you."  
  
So he knew. Harry must have told him. She let him come inside closing the door softly behind him.  
  
"I wanted to come by sooner but it's been that time of the month," he said to her.  
  
Any other time she would have gladly laughed at his joke. However, at that moment she could do little else but give him a strained smile.  
  
The kitchen was the closest room, so she took a seat at the table while Remus preferred to stay standing.  
  
"I'm so sorry about what happened," he said in a gentle voice.  
  
She just sort of shrugged at his condolences. She had avoided speaking about the miscarriage to Harry or Ron and they hadn't pressed the subject.  
  
"I don't think I would have kept it anyways," she said, her voice just above a whisper.  
  
"That doesn't mean you're not affected by it."  
  
And affected by it she was. She felt guilty, angry, depressed and about fifty other emotions she couldn't identify. The Healer had explained to her that this was normal. Her hormones were out of whack so it was expected she would have some emotional volatility. That was part of why she had locked herself in her room because she didn't want to take it out on Ron and Harry who had been nothing but supportive since it happened.  
  
"Hermione, what I'm about to tell you no other living person knows," Remus started. When he had Hermione's attention, he continued. "Harry's mother had a miscarriage before she had Harry. We were still at Hogwarts at the time in our seventh year. She was probably as far along as you were. Lily and I were very close so she came to me crying one night telling me she was pregnant. I tried to talk her into telling James but she wouldn't hear of it. They were serious but she felt convinced James was still all about having fun and being carefree, that the last thing he would want to hear was that his seventeen-year-old girlfriend was pregnant. It's ironic in a way because they had Harry soon after they graduated."  
  
"Did she ever tell him?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No. Not even after she had the miscarriage. They were both my best friends but I couldn't say anything without betraying Lily's confidence. She and James almost broke up over it, not for what it was of course, but Lily was distant and moody with him for weeks. He thought she was losing interest but things turned around before they could get too bad."  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" Even Harry didn't know his mother had a miscarriage.  
  
"Because I know what Lily went through and I can see you're going through the same thing. Lily also didn't know if she would have gone through with the pregnancy or kept the baby if she carried it to term, but she still felt the loss."  
  
Something occurred to Hermione then and she didn't know how she couldn't have picked up on it before whenever Lupin talked about Harry's mother. "You were in love with her," she stated.  
  
"That's neither here nor there," Lupin said, his expression carefully guarded. "The point I'm trying to make is that I hope you don't make the same mistake Lily did. When you're ready to talk about it Harry and Ron will be there to listen."  
  
She didn't know if she would ever be ready to talk about it. She just wanted to move on with her life. Once her department at the Ministry re-opened on Monday she intended to put it behind her for good.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione found herself being shaken awake in the late hours of the night. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness in her room, she saw Harry crouching down on the floor beside her bed.  
  
"Harry?" She said hazily, her brain still half asleep.  
  
"Was the baby mine?" He asked, his green-eyed stare even more penetrating because he wasn't wearing his glasses.  
  
She sat up, fully awake now. He was fixing her with a desperate look and she wondered if he had just woken up from another nightmare. "I don't know," she said in a low voice.  
  
"I keep thinking about it," he told her. "I would never tell Ron but I wanted it to be mine."  
  
She threw back the covers and sat on the floor with him. She didn't know what to say so she just held his hand in hers.  
  
"It's my fault," he said suddenly. "We were arguing when you  " He choked off, unable to continue.  
  
"Oh, Harry, it's not your fault," she said instantly. "The Healer said it was probably stress related. I've been stressed about work a lot."  
  
"And me," he said mournfully. "I've been such a bastard."  
  
"I shouldn't have pushed you so hard to give up hunting Dementors. I know why you're doing it. I just wish you didn't feel like you had to," she said stroking his unshaven cheek with the back of her hand. She pressed her lips against his forehead. When she pulled back she felt Harry drawing her face near his again but this time towards his mouth.  
  
Harry lightly brushed his lips over hers. He hadn't come to her room for this, but now that he had her so close to him it was hard not to touch her. He couldn't even remember the last time he had kissed her, so when Hermione didn't pull away, he kissed her again with more force this time, threading his fingers through her hair and probing her mouth open to slip his tongue inside. Hermione thrust her tongue back against his. She tugged at his lower lip with her teeth, biting down on it but not enough to draw blood.  
  
When they pulled apart for air, Harry's heart was racing a mile a minute. Hermione was breathing as heavily as him and her lips were swollen from kissing. He wanted her so badly it hurt  and in more places than one. It had been weeks since he had been this hard. His cock was rubbing against the front of his pajamas, aching to have Hermione touch and stroke him.  
  
Licking his lips, he said, "do a silencing charm." He didn't know if she could have sex yet but he could find other ways to make her scream.  
  
Hermione blindly groped for her wand inside her nightstand and cast the silencing charm around the room like he had asked. She saw the same desire burning in Harry's eyes that were present in her own. She had barely put her wand back on the nightstand before Harry grabbed her wrists and pulled her onto his lap, pressing his mouth so hard against hers she was sure it would leave bruises. He was rocking his hips and she could feel his hardness rubbing against the thin material covering her cunt.  
  
He moved his lips down the slope of her neck and throat. When he got to her pajama top he didn't waste time undoing buttons, he just ripped her top open, spilling her breasts free in front of him. He latched onto one with his mouth as Hermione started bouncing up and down more furiously on his lap. He sucked hungrily on her nipple, grazing his teeth over it, which caused her to grind into him harder than before. She had her head thrown back crying out his name. But it wasn't enough. Harry wanted to hear her screaming his name. He lifted her off his lap and pushed her flat on her back on the carpeted floor.  
  
He yanked down her pajama bottoms and plunged a finger into her wet folds and started pumping her with it. This time she did she scream out.  
  
"I'm not hurting you am I?" Harry said, surprised at the steadiness of his voice.  
  
"No," she said, frantically shaking her head. "It feels so good, Harry. Don't stop," she moaned.  
  
After she said that, he slid a second finger into her cunt. Her body arched off the floor, bucking towards his hand. Her face was screwed up in ecstasy as he brought her closer to orgasm. Harry couldn't hold back anymore. He started touching himself through his pajamas while he watched her writhe on the floor. She looked unbelievably sexy with the thin layer of perspiration covering her body and her hair spread out behind her head.  
  
When Hermione opened her eyes and saw Harry stroking himself, she said in a sultry tone, "let me." Though she wanted her own release, she could put that on hold for the moment to help Harry with his problem.  
  
She sat up and roughly tugged his shirt up over his head. She nipped at his earlobe, making Harry shiver. She pressed her palms flat against his chest and pushed him back so that he was the one now flat on the floor. She seductively tugged his pajama bottoms down, freeing his erection that stood out from between his legs. She took his cock in both her hands and he cried out her name like it was a desperate plea.  
  
Harry lay there letting her work his cock in her hands for a while before gently pushing them away. Hermione was just as surprised when he did that as when he flattened her against the floor with his body. If he shifted his body just a little he could slip inside her, which was what he had wanted from the start.  
  
"Can you  ?"  
  
"Yes," she said, feeling him rubbing his cock against her entrance as she gave him the answer. It had been seven days since her miscarriage and from everything she had been able to read on the subject, it was up to the person in question to decide how soon they wanted to have sex after miscarrying.  
  
She was already on a new kind of contraceptive potion, one that she planned to take once a week instead of once a month for it to be more potent. She hadn't been planning on being with either of the boys so soon, but Harry was right there and the only way to make the ache go away was to have him inside her.  
  
Harry expertly sank his cock into her, grunting at the first feel of having her all around him. But he didn't stay still like that for more than a few seconds. Soon he was sliding in and out of her, sometimes just teasing her with the head of his cock and other times thrusting himself inside her as hard and as far as he could.  
  
Hermione was raking her fingernails down over his chest and every time their faces were drawn close enough together they exchanged a breathless kiss.  
  
When he saw how close Hermione was to the edge, he moved in and out of her faster, moaning out her name with every thrust. When he felt her inner walls contract against his cock he came, pumping his semen into her as he was rocked by his own orgasm.  
  
Breathing erratic, Harry fell forward, resting most of his weight on his arms to keep from crushing her tiny frame beneath him. But it wasn't long before his arms could no longer hold him up and he rolled onto the floor beside her. He was on his back when he felt Hermione snuggling closer to him, draping an arm over his chest.  
  
Words seemed unnecessary, so they didn't talk. They just laid there together in silence until they both fell asleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
When Ron woke up the following morning and walked into the kitchen still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he was sure he was in the wrong house. Hermione was sitting at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet. She looked up when he entered and gave him a warm smile.  
  
It had been days since she had sat down in a room that wasn't her bedroom and it had been at least that long since she had smiled or shown any kind of real emotion. He had been starting to worry about her and was in the process of working himself up to suggest she go talk to someone, since she seemed unwilling to open up to either him or Harry. That was why he felt a great sense of relief at seeing she was starting to act like her old self again.  
  
"Morning," he said, sliding into the chair beside her.  
  
"Morning," she responded back.  
  
To both Ron's shock and delight, she kissed him.  
  
"I remember this," he murmured, flashing her a grin.  
  
"I didn't think you'd forget," she said, resting her forehead against his.  
  
"But my memory is a little hazy so it could probably use some refreshing," he said, capturing her lips in another kiss.  
  
Ron had forgotten how good it was just kiss her. Even if she wasn't ready to shag for a while, he could do with just this, which was more than he had gotten in quite some time.  
  
When they finally stopped kissing long enough for Hermione to go back to her breakfast, Ron decided he wouldn't mention the miscarriage unless she did. He might not be the most sensitive bloke in the world but he did have some understanding of what she had gone through, or at least he wanted to think that he did. He didn't want to force her to talk about it, but hopefully she would want to talk about it some day with him and Harry.  
  
Harry showed up in the kitchen doorway at that moment, carrying two large duffle bags in his hand.  
  
"What's going on, Harry?" Ron asked him. He would have made a joke about him going on a trip but he knew that was not the case at all.  
  
"I'm moving some of my stuff out," Harry answered.  
  
"I don't understand," said Hermione, pushing back from her chair and standing up. Sure, things weren't perfect right now but she had thought after last night they were getting back on track.  
  
"I need to move out, at least for a while," he said to them. "I need to sort through some things."  
  
"What kind of things?" Ron asked. He knew he and Harry had a long way to go before they were all right, but for the last week they had been putting aside their own issues for Hermione's sake.  
  
"Harry, it wasn't your fault," Hermione said immediately, sensing she knew why he was doing this. "Please don't leave because of that."  
  
"What's not Harry's fault?" Ron asked, his eyes darting back and forth between them.  
  
"We were fighting just before she had the miscarriage," said Harry.  
  
Ron was livid. How could they both have kept that piece of information from him? "Is that why you've been hanging around? Because you feel guilty?"  
  
"Ron, please don't," Hermione said to him. "Harry had no idea I was pregnant."  
  
That did little to improve Ron's temper, who was glaring openly at Harry now.  
  
"I'm going to be staying with the twins again," he informed them.  
  
"Harry  "  
  
"It's better this way," Harry said, cutting her off. "I'm not sure if this is the right thing for me."  
  
Hermione felt like the air had been crushed out of her lungs. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Maybe I'm not ready for something this serious," he said slowly. "For the last seven years everything has been life or death situations for me. I think we rushed into this."  
  
"Maybe you should have thought about that before you wanted all of us to live together," Hermione said, her voice choking up a bit.  
  
"That's why I'm doing this now instead of later," he said, doing his best not to look in Hermione's direction for too long. "I'm sorry."  
  
The tears were freely falling down Hermione's face now. "So what you're saying is you'd rather have some meaningless, empty fling with someone you don't even know over being with Ron and I?"  
  
Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't know what I want right now."  
  
"Then it's better that you leave," said Ron, who was both hurt and angry. "Because now we can stop pretending that this was actually going to work. You want to be alone? You got it. Don't expect me or Hermione to wait around hoping you're going to change your mind. We're done being your sidekicks and your doormats, so just get the fuck out of here."  
  
Without second guessing his decision, Harry did just that.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Harry didn't recognize the person staring back at him in the mirror. His face, eyes and hair were unmistakably his but he still felt like he was looking at a stranger. With some amusement he noted he probably looked worse than Remus did after a full moon. His face was gaunt and he seemed to have permanent circles under his eyes that wouldn't go away because he rarely got a decent night's sleep anymore.  
  
Much worse than his appearance was that after four days of being away from Ron and Hermione, he was more miserable and alone than any Dementor could make him feel. And it was all his own doing. He had no one to blame but himself for his current situation. He had walked out on them. He thought he had done it for the right reasons, but more and more he was having trouble distinguishing what were his own thoughts and what were the emotions and insecurities planted in his head because of all his time spent around the Dementors.  
  
It was more than driving him a bit mad and it was costing him the two people that meant more to him than his own life.  
  
Now, he didn't know if he meant what he said about not wanting something so serious. He loved Ron and Hermione, he knew that much. Living with them had been wonderful in the beginning, but after a while they had started to get on each other's nerves a bit and became more aware of each other's annoying bad habits.  
  
Now he understood what Lupin had meant about rushing things when they had moved in together so quickly. It had really been a spur of the moment decision, without any of them giving any thought to the long term. Were they going to be thirty and still involved in a relationship they were keeping secret from everyone, even those closest to them? For that matter, would they even still want to be together? They had only been together four months so everything was still relatively new but people changed when they got older and what they wanted tended to change with them. Maybe they would be so sick of each other by then they wouldn't even be friends. Everything was such a mess between the three of them right now Harry doubted Ron and Hermione were even thinking that far ahead.  
  
That was another dilemma Harry was having. Maybe Ron and Hermione would be happy without him and the two of them could be together just like Harry had always thought would happen. It didn't matter how many times they said they loved him the same, Harry still felt like there was this part of Hermione only Ron could touch and vice versa. They argued constantly but that only seemed to intensify the connection they shared. It was like bickering was some kind of foreplay for them.  
  
He knew these insecurities were his own and not something that had manifested itself in his head because he had felt like this from the beginning. That if ever one day they were to split apart, Hermione and Ron would still end up together. Or they would stay with him because they felt obligated to and didn't want him to feel left out or like he wasn't needed anymore. Harry didn't know which one of those was worse.  
  
But he knew before he could even attempt to patch things up with Ron and Hermione, he would have to go to Moody and decline any more missions to track down Dementors. He had to decide what was more important: saving the world or salvaging his relationship with his best friends. But he had already saved the world twice, hadn't he? Didn't he deserve to finally live out his life the way he wanted to? That's what Lupin, Hermione, Ron, and even Mrs. Weasley had been telling him all along. He had already done what was asked of him. He had fulfilled the prophecy and defeated Voldemort, so hadn't he earned the right to finally be happy?  
  
However, he wouldn't have been Harry Potter if he didn't feel like it was his duty to help out in any way he could, even if it meant facing the most vile creatures he had ever come in contact with and that affected him far worse than Voldemort ever had. He also couldn't help but feel a small measure of pride that the Order was finally seeing him as an adult and entrusting him with such dangerous tasks. But was any of that worth losing what mattered to him most?  
  
In between his missions for the Order and Quidditch, he was too tired to do much of anything else besides sit in his flat above the twins' shop and think. But even that was not as easy as it sounded. Without even meaning to he would start remembering the darkest days of the war, Dumbledore being murdered before his eyes by Snape, Hagrid's funeral and the way he had purposely distanced himself from his friends afterward, unable to cope with the harsh reality that they could be next. It wasn't like he was just remembering them either, that would have been bad enough, but he was actually reliving all those moments thanks to his prolonged exposure to the Dementors.  
  
He was at the point where for once he should do the selfish thing and make a choice for himself instead of for other people around him. His hero complex, as Hermione liked to call it, was what had gotten him into this position. Maybe it was time he stopped being The Boy Who Lived and concentrated on just being Harry.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
It had not taken Ron long to figure out why muggles were so fascinated with television, because even when there was nothing on you could waste time flipping through the all the available channels. He had tried watching football since Dean Thomas was obsessed with it and said it was sort of like Quidditch, except it was played on the ground with each side having only one goal and there were more players. As far as Ron was concerned, Dean Thomas was barking mad. Football wasn't anything like Quidditch and he couldn't believe his sister was dating someone who dared to compare the two. The game was far too slow moving and the tiny players on the screen seemed to fall over at the slightest touch, which would lead to the referee calling a foul. He just didn't get it. The Quidditch games at Hogwarts had been filled with far more violent assaults on unsuspecting players, many of which had never been called by Madam Hooch. Muggles either got hurt a lot easier or these football rules were way too strict.  
  
Shaking his head, he switched off the football game to see what other programs were on.  
  
A snowy white owl swooped into the living room then, landing beside Ron's feet on the coffee table.  
  
"What do you want?" Ron scowled at Hedwig. "If Harry thinks we're going to hand deliver the rest of his stuff he can kiss my arse. He can come here and get it himself, preferably when Hermione and me aren't home."  
  
Hedwig hooted loudly, giving her right leg a little shake so Ron would see the envelope attached to it.  
  
"I don't want it," Ron told the owl.  
  
Hedwig just hooted again and fluffed her feathers. Harry had obviously left her with very specific instructions not to leave unless one of them took the letter.  
  
"For fuck's sake," Ron grumbled, and untied the letter from the owl's leg.  
  
Hedwig ruffled her feathers and then took off, soaring out through the kitchen window she had entered from.  
  
"Was a delivery owl just here?" Hermione asked, coming into the living room. She was waiting for the latest volume in the Arithmancy series she had to be delivered.  
  
"No, it was just Hedwig. Bloody owl wouldn't leave until I took this from her," he said, gesturing to the unopened envelope on the coffee table with his and Hermione's name on it. "He's going to have to do a lot better than that because I'm not  hey, what are you doing?" He said, sitting up and dropping his feet to the floor.  
  
"What does it look like? I'm opening it," she said in obvious tone.  
  
"I'm not that daft. I know what you're doing but why are you doing it?"  
  
"We should at least read what he has to say," Hermione said, taking the folded letter out of the envelope.  
  
"Knock yourself out," said Ron sarcastically and went back to watching the telly.  
  
As Hermione unfolded the letter, two rectangular pieces of paper that looked like tickets fell out and floated to the floor. That caught Ron's attention, though he pretended like it hadn't and watched Hermione pick up the tickets out of the corner of his eye. She held them in her hands and read the letter. When she was done she handed it to Ron.  
  
"Why are you giving that to me?"  
  
"It is addressed to the both of us."  
  
"It doesn't mean I have to read it."  
  
Hermione sighed loudly and dropped the letter onto the coffee table. "Stop sulking, Ron. Why can't you admit that Harry's leaving upsets you as much as it does me, maybe more?"  
  
"More?" Ron cried.  
  
"You and Harry were together for months before I entered the picture."  
  
"That doesn't mean I need to have a good cry over it," he grumbled. "It's not like he's dead or anything."  
  
"You're acting like you wish he was."  
  
Ron stood up so fast the rush of air knocked Harry's letter to the floor. "You want me to admit that I'm upset the way things are, fine, I am!" He shouted. "But don't expect me to mope around here wishing he'd come back. Harry was worried about how serious things were between us when the real problem is him. He's the one who's too fucking serious. He always has to be rescuing someone or rushing off to save the world. That's what makes Harry Potter happy, not us."  
  
Hermione didn't get angry or argue with him. In fact, she remained surprisingly calm. "I'm still angry with him too and I know I'm not ready to forgive him, but I also know Harry really does care about us."  
  
Ron merely snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
Instead of forcing the issue, Hermione turned and headed back down the hall to her room.  
  
Ron sank back down onto the couch with a glower. His foot hit something on the floor and he picked up the letter Harry had wrote them. He leaned forward and glanced down the hall to make sure Hermione had gone back to her room before unfolding the letter and reading it.  
  
  
  
Ron & Hermione,  
  
  
  
I'm not going to say sorry because I already know this can't be fixed with an apology. I've talked to Moody and told him he can give me any other Order mission he wants but I won't be going after the Dementors anymore.  
  
I've included tickets to my game on Saturday but don't feel like you have to show up.  
  
  
  
Harry  
  
  
  
Ron fingered both the tickets in his hand. It was the first time he actually had to think about whether or not to go to a Quidditch match.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione was shocked when Ron muttered on Saturday morning that he would go with her to Harry's match. Even more shocking was when he agreed to hang around with her after the match so they could see Harry. For a moment, she almost wished she hadn't when she saw Harry emerge from the locker room engaged in conversation with Cho Chang.  
  
Harry stopped when he saw them. He said something to Cho, who smiled and waved good-bye to him. Then Harry approached his friends on his own.  
  
"It was a good match," Hermione spoke first, hoping to break the ice.  
  
"I've seen you catch the Snitch faster than that," Ron noted.  
  
Hermione couldn't tell if he was trying to pick a fight or not, but thankfully Harry didn't take any offense to the remark.  
  
"I wasn't sure you were going to show up," he said, scratching the back of his head nervously.  
  
"Not even Ron would throw away perfectly good Quidditch tickets," Hermione said, trying to ease some of the tension.  
  
Ron wasn't in the mood to joke around. "So you're just playing Quidditch now, no hunting Dementors on the side?"  
  
"Yeah, it's just Quidditch," Harry said nodding.  
  
Hermione could tell just by looking at his face that he was speaking the truth. He was no longer pale and his green eyes had a brightness to them in place of the hollowness from recent weeks. He looked almost like the old Harry.  
  
"You look good, Harry," she said before she could stop herself.  
  
Harry gave her that deadly smile that always made her melt inside. But it fell off his face when he realized he shouldn't be looking at her like that. He cleared his throat. "Er, thanks for coming."  
  
Hermione and Ron said their good-byes and then apparated away leaving Harry standing there.  
  
They had come, which was more than Harry had been expecting. He would have been lying if he said it hadn't been awkward, and it was clear Ron was still angry with him, not that Harry blamed him with the way he had treated both him and Hermione.  
  
Harry knew things were still a long way from perfect but it was a start.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

In late January, Mrs. Weasley had everyone over at The Burrow for dinner. All she would tell them was that she wouldn't accept no for answer, since they had not been together for a meal since Christmas Day. That's why Harry found himself crowded around the Weasley's long rectangular table with Ron's parents, Lupin, Tonks, the twins, Bill, Fleur, Ron and Hermione. Charlie was still in Romania.  
  
Harry was the only one who knew why they were all there because Lupin had come to see him earlier in the day. But judging by the anxious, yet happy expression on Mrs. Weasley's face she had a pretty fair idea why Lupin and Tonks had wanted everyone assembled at The Burrow.  
  
Harry heard Lupin clear his throat from beside him and the polite conversation that was going on at the table came to a halt, as everyone turned their attention to Lupin.  
  
"Thank you all for coming," Lupin began, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. "I'm sure Molly didn't have to twist your arms too hard."  
  
Everyone laughed a little and Mrs. Weasley turned red, since she knew exactly how pushy she had been to make sure everyone there would show up.  
  
"The reason we wanted you to be here," he continued, gesturing to Tonks, who was beaming proudly, "is because Tonks and I are getting married."  
  
A chorus of congratulations and applause filled the room, followed by a round of 'finally!'  
  
"Pay up, George," said Fred, holding out his hand in front of his twin. "You said he would never pop the question. That's twenty galleons you owe me."  
  
"You can take it out of the register at the shop since we share everything," said George, who didn't sound the least bit disappointed this was one bet he had lost.  
  
"Have you set a date yet?" Mrs. Weasley asked excitedly.  
  
"Mum, they just got engaged. Don't start nagging them about that already," said Bill, remembering all too well what she had been like when he and Fleur had stayed engaged for over a year.  
  
"We haven't really discussed that," said Tonks, her smile as bright as her pink hair. "But we were thinking of something in late spring."  
  
Although it wasn't set in stone, Mrs. Weasley agreed with their choice. Then she started getting into wedding details and asking if they wanted to have it at The Burrow.  
  
By the time they finished dessert, Lupin couldn't dodge any more of Mrs. Weasley's questions, so he left her and Tonks to happily discuss the wedding while he excused himself to get some air. Harry went with him, needing some fresh air himself.  
  
They walked far enough away from The Burrow so they could no longer hear the conversations going on inside. It was unusually warm for a January night so Harry didn't bother with gloves and simply shoved his hands in his pockets.  
  
"I should have listened to Tonks," Remus said, shaking his head but he was smiling. "Molly really had been expecting a detailed wedding plan for tonight."  
  
"She'll probably offer to do everything like she did for Bill and Fleur's wedding," said Harry.  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Lupin, looking a little uneasy. "Tonks and Molly differ in a great many ways and I doubt they both have same ideas for what to do for the wedding."  
  
Harry shared Lupin's doubts. Molly Weasley was very traditional and Tonks, an Auror with pink hair and an outrageous style was the complete opposite of that. "You waited long enough to ask her," Harry said with a wry smile.  
  
"Yes, well, Tonks kept bugging me about it so I thought I might as well get it over with."  
  
"You only asked her because of that?" Harry said in disbelief.  
  
"That was a joke, Harry," Lupin said smiling. "I've been meaning to for a while but I kept coming up with excuses as to why she would be better off with someone else. Like someone who can get a job and isn't twice her age for starters. But Tonks didn't buy those excuses in the beginning and she certainly isn't falling for them now, so it looks like we're stuck with each other."  
  
Lupin looked happier then Harry could ever remember seeing him. He couldn't think of anyone else who deserved that happiness more, since for the most part Lupin's lycanthropy had prevented him from leading a normal life.  
  
"So how are things with Ron and Hermione?" Lupin asked him.  
  
"They're fine," Harry lied.  
  
Lupin knew they weren't because Harry was still living in Diagon Alley. "Are you moving out for good?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I suppose I might as well. I think they're happier now that I'm gone." It had been hard not to spend the whole night staring at them, watching how comfortable they looked together and being jealous because he had no idea what they were saying to each other in their hushed conversations.  
  
Lupin regarded him closely. "Have you asked them that?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then you're just making assumptions," said Lupin. "Harry, they had the opportunity to have it just be the two of them before, but they chose to have you with them. Don't think that's all going to change just because you've been gone a few weeks."  
  
Harry opted to stay silent. It wasn't so much because he was embarrassed to be having a conversation about his relationship with Hermione and Ron, it was just he didn't know what to do about it anymore. Now that he wasn't around the Dementors he could finally think with a clear head again. He wanted to be with them and he wanted to move back in with them but he didn't feel like he had the right to tell them these things. He was the one who had said he wasn't ready for something this serious. How could he just take something like that back?  
  
"Let's go back inside," Lupin said after several moments of silence, "before Tonks decides she's had enough of Molly's planning and wants to elope."  
  
Despite his anxiety over his situation with Ron and Hermione, Harry had to chuckle at that. He honestly couldn't picture the quiet and serious Lupin doing anything that outrageous. Then again, if he was marrying Tonks anything was possible.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
"So when do you and Hermione plan on getting married?"  
  
"What?!?" Ron shouted in a hushed whisper. He was too young to be having a heart attack but that's what it felt like, or maybe it was a stroke.  
  
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that," his father apologized.  
  
"Where the hell did you get an idea like that from?" Ron hissed, still on edge. Thankfully his mother was still in the kitchen cleaning up their mess from dinner and the twins were busy entertaining Bill and Fleur by explaining their latest line of inventions. Hermione was still sitting at the table talking with Tonks.  
  
"I know that Harry's not living with you anymore," said Mr. Weasley.  
  
Ron swallowed. "You do?"  
  
"I ran into him in Diagon Alley last week and when I asked how you and Hermione were he said he wasn't living with you. Don't worry, I didn't tell your mother," Mr. Weasley added, seeing his son was starting to sweat.  
  
Ron blinked. "You didn't?"  
  
"You're an adult now, even though your mother refuses to see it. And now that I've kept this to myself for this long there's no point in telling her since I would be in the doghouse right along with you."  
  
"Thanks, dad," Ron said, unable to hold back a huge sigh of relief.  
  
"Is it serious between you two?"  
  
"What?!?" Ron cried, his voice rising again.  
  
"I assume that's the reason Harry moved out. He didn't want to feel like he was in the way."  
  
"No, dad, that's not why Harry left. And Hermione and I are not together." The one thing all Weasley's had in common, aside from their red hair, was that they were horrible liars. Ron could tell right away his dad didn't believe anything he had said.  
  
"Fine, let's say for the sake of argument you're not involved," said his father. "But if, say, sometime in the future you were to become involved, you would be careful wouldn't you?"  
  
"Shit, dad," Ron said, his face reddening with embarrassment. He could not imagine this conversation getting any worse.  
  
"Would you rather your mother have this talk with you?"  
  
"God, no," Ron said immediately.  
  
"Then I hope you appreciate that this is just as embarrassing for me. This talk does not get any easier even after five children," said Mr. Weasley, his own ears bright crimson.  
  
"Believe me, I've already had 'the talk' with Bill, Charlie, and the twins so there's really nothing more that needs to be said," Ron said quickly, hoping that would deter his father from leading them into ever more embarrassing territory.  
  
"And none of them have any kids yet, so at least they've been good role models."  
  
Ron gulped. There was no way he could tell his dad that he might have been a grandfather if Hermione hadn't lost the baby. His dad might be able to accept that he and Hermione were living together but if he found out she had gotten pregnant there was no way he wouldn't be angry and severely disappointed in him. It would have made things even more awkward because he would have been forced to explain that they hadn't known if him or Harry had been the father. That was definitely not something Ron was ready to tell him anytime soon. It was bad enough having to tell Ginny but even she didn't know about the pregnancy.  
  
Fortunately for Ron, his father seemed to think he had his head screwed on the right way and didn't say anything more on the subject. And Ron, not wanting to give his father the impression there was anything other than friendship going on between them, stayed at least a foot away from Hermione the rest of the night.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
This was what Ron had missed  Hermione lying sprawled out naked on top of his body after their latest bout of shagging. It was the first time since Harry had moved out that they spent the night in the same bed doing more than just fooling around or cuddling. It had been brilliant for Ron and he knew from watching Hermione's earth shattering climax it had been just as good for her.  
  
Hermione rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"  
  
"Actually, I was thinking about how bloody brilliant that was," he said, trailing his hands down her back to cup her arse cheeks.  
  
Her eyes fell shut briefly and she let out a low moan. When she was able to form a rational thought again, she said, "it's okay to admit that you miss him."  
  
Ron removed his hands from her body, saying, "do we really need to get into this again?"  
  
Hermione rolled off of him and propped herself up on one elbow so she could see him better. "I miss him too," she said quietly.  
  
"I didn't say I missed him," Ron said more sharply than he intended.  
  
"So you would be fine if it was just the two of us together?"  
  
He didn't even need to think that one through. "Of course I would."  
  
"And so would I."  
  
Ron just stared at her. He had not expected her to just come out and admit that. "Then why are we even having this conversation?"  
  
"Because even though we'd be happy together there would still be something missing. Without Harry it would feel incomplete."  
  
Ron stared up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. Probably the thing he missed most about having Harry around was that they never had these deep, emotionally thought out conversations, whereas Hermione always wanted to talk about her feelings or exhaust a subject to death. But just because he didn't want to talk about his didn't mean they weren't there. Sure, Harry had been a bastard but he seemed to be trying hard to repair their friendship. Ron knew at least some of his behaviour had been a direct result of his involvement with the Dementors, but that didn't make it any easier to swallow some of the things that had been said. On the other hand, he and Hermione had not always done their best to make things work and had constantly put Harry in the middle of their arguments, sometimes even forcing him to take sides. He supposed they were all somewhat to blame for the way things had ended up.  
  
"You want him to move back in?" Ron said knowingly.  
  
"If that's what he wants," she replied. "But if he still thinks this isn't something he's ready for then we can't push him on it, otherwise we're just going to end up in the same situation as before."  
  
"Do you want me to talk to him?" Ron asked her.  
  
Hermione gave him a look that said she would like that very much. "Really? You would do that?"  
  
He tried to shrug it off as nothing. "It's just Harry. It's not like he says much to begin with."  
  
Hermione was both glad and surprised Ron was agreeing to this. Surprised, because Ron tended to hold grudges longer than anybody she knew  which meant that even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he missed Harry as much as she and wanted them to work things out.  
  
"What were you and your dad talking about at The Burrow?" She asked, having already got a positive response from him on Harry moving back in but not wanting to push the subject.  
  
"Oh god," Ron moaned, covering his face with his hands. "It was bloody humiliating. He knows Harry's not living here anymore but hasn't told my mum. He thinks Harry moved out because you and I are together."  
  
"What did you tell him?" Ron sometimes exaggerated but this didn't sound embarrassing in the slightest.  
  
"I told him we were just friends and then he started giving me this talk on how careful we should be if we ever got together."  
  
Hermione tried to mask her laughter but it was all too apparent to Ron who was glaring openly at her.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just that's a little funny coming from your dad considering your parents have seven kids."  
  
"I don't think you would have found it funny if you were having to stand there and have that conversation with him," Ron said grumpily. "I'm tired of having to lie to everyone."  
  
"I thought we all agreed it was for the best," said Hermione.  
  
"I know. It just makes everything more complicated by having to lie all the time." He still hadn't told her Ginny knew about the three of them, and since his sister had agreed to keep her mouth shut he wasn't exactly in a rush to tell either Harry or Hermione his sister knew about their three way relationship.  
  
What was there to tell anyways? It's not as if the three of them were together at the moment. Perhaps after he talked with Harry that would change, or at least he would decide to come home.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
It took two whole days before Ron worked up the nerve to go to the flat Harry was staying at above the twins' shop. Ron stood there outside the door for so long, debating whether or not to knock that the door opened of its own accord and Harry neatly collided with Ron who was standing right on the doorstep. Both boys were equally startled and it was Harry who found his voice first.  
  
"Sorry, I was just leaving for practice. I wasn't expecting anyone to be standing right here."  
  
"I can come back," said Ron, moving away. "I wouldn't want you to be late."  
  
"I won't be. I was just going outside to apparate. Fred and George have these anti-apparating charms up around the shop to keep people from breaking in." Even if he had been running late Harry would have wanted to stay to see what Ron wanted. Ron wouldn't have come all the way to Diagon Alley for nothing. "What's up?" Harry asked as casually as he could. The few conversations he'd had with Ron, most recently a few nights ago at The Burrow, had been forced and strained like they didn't know how to act around each other anymore.  
  
"How's Quidditch going?" Ron asked lamely.  
  
"It's good," Harry answered, fixing Ron with an odd look.  
  
"When's your next match?"  
  
"Wednesday against the Falcons."  
  
Ron nodded, even though he already knew that. "They're only a game back of you for first place. It's bound to be a tough match."  
  
"That's why Wood has us on this insane practice schedule." Before they could continue with any more small talk, Harry said, "did you really come here just to talk about Quidditch?"  
  
Harry had seen right through him. "No," he admitted.  
  
"So what do you want to talk about?"  
  
Now that Harry was standing there right in front of him this was a much harder thing to do.  
  
"Ron, if you don't say something soon I really am going to have to leave," Harry said.  
  
Oh hell, just get it over with, Weasley. "We want you to move back in with us."  
  
That was the last thing Harry had been expecting Ron to say. "I  I don't know what to say," he said in a barely audible voice.  
  
"It's a yes or no answer, Harry," Ron said to him. "Hermione and me talked it over and we want to give this another try  unless you don't want to."  
  
"No, I do," Harry stated truthfully. "I just didn't think you'd want me back."  
  
"I didn't say all was forgiven," Ron added quickly, "but it's not as if we can figure anything out with you living here and us rarely seeing you."  
  
Harry was wracking his brain for something to say but came up empty every time.  
  
"Look, you can think it over if you want," said Ron, interpreting Harry's silence as indecision.  
  
"I'll move back in with you," Harry said, finally finding his voice. "Er, should I bring my stuff by after practice?"  
  
"Yeah, come by anytime," Ron replied.  
  
"I guess I'll see you later then," Harry said awkwardly.  
  
Ron nodded. "Have a good practice."  
  
As Harry watched Ron walk away he already knew he was going to have the best practice of his Quidditch career that day.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

When Harry opened his eyes his first thought was that he couldn't breathe. He figured out rather quickly it was because his face was pressed against the thick brown curls of Hermione's hair. He also realized he had one arm draped around her waist and was pressing intimately against her. He didn't know how he had ended up in that position but when he felt her stirring, he pulled his arm away and rolled onto his back.  
  
This was exactly why he had been sleeping in his own bed since moving back to live with Ron and Hermione. It was like even when he didn't mean to touch them he somehow ended up in that position. It was stupid really because that was why he had moved back in.  
  
After several nights of sleeping in his own bed, Hermione had taken matters into her own hands and asked him to sleep with her and Ron since it appeared unlikely he was going to join them on his own.  
  
That was how he had ended up in her bed, flat on his back, trying to will away his erection. But after going so long without sex and having been woken up with his cock perfectly nestled between Hermione's arse cheeks, he was fighting a losing battle. At least they had their clothes on, otherwise it would have been a lot worse.  
  
The mattress shifted a bit as Hermione turned onto her back, awake as well.  
  
"Sorry," Harry apologized, his face flushed. He said it as much for ending up cuddled up against her as for poking her with his hardness.  
  
"It's not as if I've never felt your erection digging into me before," she said blushing.  
  
Harry's face felt incredibly hot. "I think I'm going to get up now." At least that way he could take care of himself in his own shower.  
  
"Harry, stay," she whispered, reaching for his hand. "You don't have to keep doing this."  
  
"Doing what?" He whispered back. Ron was still sleeping on the other side of Hermione, and he wasn't faking either because Harry could hear his trademark snores.  
  
"Acting like you have to distance yourself from us," she said, her eyes locked on him. "If Ron and I wanted you to do that we never would have asked you to move back in."  
  
"I don't think that I deserve any of this," Harry said, looking away from her.  
  
"In a way, we all contributed to how things ended up," she began. "Maybe we did rush into everything too fast, including living together and it just got worse once you started hunting down Dementors. I think the breaking point was when I lost the baby and it just all fell apart from there. But I love you and Ron too much not to try and make this work."  
  
Harry couldn't understand it; even after everything she still loved him. He didn't know if he would ever really understand what unconditional love meant. "Hermione, I just think  "  
  
"Stop thinking, Harry."  
  
As she said it, she tilted his face towards hers and kissed him. It was over almost as soon as it began but the content look on Hermione's face told Harry everything he needed to know.  
  
The alarm went off then making them both jump. Hermione quickly reached passed Harry up onto the nightstand to turn it off. Ron still slept soundly.  
  
"I have to get up for work," she said, sounding apologetic.  
  
"What about Ron?"  
  
"We have an arrangement. He likes to sleep in, so I get up first, which means I get longer in the loo," she explained.  
  
"Wow, I'm impressed," Harry said, mockingly. "I didn't know you two could be so civil."  
  
Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and moved down to the end of the bed so she could get up without having to crawl over Harry. Harry was grateful that she did. He wouldn't be able to take it if any more parts of her ended up pressed against him.  
  
Harry stayed in bed for awhile after she was gone, but once he heard the shower running and pictured Hermione naked, touching herself in there, sleep was definitely not an option for him.  
  
He left Ron alone in Hermione's bed to tread across the hall to his own room, where he was about to make very good use of his private bathroom.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Harry grimaced as he put the bag of ice against his shoulder. It was cold but hopefully it would help to dull the pain from getting hit with a Bludger. He knew as horrible as he felt would be nothing compared to the pain the two Beaters on his team were feeling after Wood ripped their heads off for allowing Harry to get hit in the first place.  
  
When Harry thought about all the other Quidditch injuries he had had over the years, this was by far the least serious. The team Healer had to take an emergency personal leave for a couple of days otherwise he would have healed it on the spot. Wood had insisted Harry go to St. Mungo's and get it checked out, but there was no way he was going to the wizarding hospital if he didn't have to. It was probably just a bruise anyways. It wasn't like he had felt anything crack. He would take a little pain over having Healers gawk at him any day. You would think they could be professional but they were just as bad as everyone else.  
  
"Blimey, Harry, what did you do to yourself this time?" Said Ron, walking into the kitchen and tossing his work robes over a chair.  
  
"Just a Bludger to the shoulder," Harry answered, readjusting the bag of ice so it wasn't so cold.  
  
Ron let out a low whistle. "That must have been a rough match. I guess that ends your streak of not getting injured. But it's definitely the longest you've ever gone injury free. Madam Pomfrey would be impressed."  
  
Harry grinned. It felt good to joke around and be comfortable like this with Ron again.  
  
"You should just heal it," Ron said crossing the kitchen so he and Harry were in front of each other. "I'll never get how you and Hermione think ice helps heal things. Muggles really are barking mad."  
  
"It does help," Harry insisted, even though it was a pointless argument. "And it's not like it's some cut or a broken bone. Muscles are much harder to heal unless you know what you're doing, and since I'm not a Healer I'd rather take some discomfort over ruining my arm permanently."  
  
"You should get Hermione to take a look at it when she gets home," said Ron.  
  
"I'm sure it will be healed completely by the time that happens," Harry remarked dryly.  
  
Then, quite unexpectedly, Ron gingerly touched the exposed area of his shoulder below the ice pack.  
  
"Does that hurt?" Ron asked, when he heard a sharp intake of breath by Harry.  
  
"No, it's fine," Harry said quickly. He had been unprepared for Ron to touch him. As with Hermione, Harry had purposely tried to keep some space between him and Ron at all times. For the most part it had been easier than distancing himself from Hermione. But now that Ron was more massaging than touching his shoulder, Harry stepped back from.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ron," he muttered.  
  
"For what? Getting injured. If that's the case, you owe me about a thousand more apologies."  
  
"No, I'm sorry that I said what happened between us after Hagrid died didn't mean anything," Harry said, his voice wavering slightly.  
  
"It's okay, Harry," Ron said, feeling uncomfortable.  
  
"No, it's not," Harry said fiercely. "I was fucking horrible to you. I know the Dementors were messing with my head but I shouldn't have said those things."  
  
"Harry  "  
  
But Harry wouldn't let Ron interrupt. He needed to say these things. "I screwed up everything. I should have listened to you and Hermione  "  
  
"Harry, shut up," Ron growled and flattened his mouth against Harry's, causing Harry to drop the ice pack in shock. He didn't even have to pry Harry's lips apart, his mouth was already open and waiting for Ron to shove his tongue inside. He backed Harry against the counter, pressing his full weight into him. Ron wasn't hard yet but he was going to be that way very soon from having Harry's crotch touching his own. But all too soon Harry was prying his mouth away from Ron's.  
  
"Ron, wait, I have to  "  
  
"No, you don't have to say anything else," Ron said in a hoarse voice. "Believe me, Hermione's done enough talking about feelings to last me a lifetime while you were gone. I don't want to talk anymore," he finished, grabbing Harry's arse, grinding him against his cock.  
  
Ron didn't have to worry about Harry saying another word because talking was impossible for him after that. Harry roughly grabbed Ron's head, bringing his mouth crashing against his own, while they continued to rock their hips against each other. Harry latched onto Ron's neck, leaving teeth marks and not caring. He reached for Ron's belt, hurrying to get it undone before swiftly pulling down his trousers and underwear.  
  
Ron closed his eyes, waiting expectantly for Harry to stroke and touch him. But then he felt something wet along the inside of his thigh. He looked down to see Harry on his knees, with no part of his body touching him except for his tongue.  
  
Harry ran his tongue up Ron's left thigh and then his right one. If Ron wasn't going to let him tell him how sorry he was Harry would just have to show him. He flicked his tongue against the head of Ron's cock and Ron jerked his hips forward with a grunt.  
  
"Ron, do you want me to show you how sorry I am?" Harry said huskily.  
  
"Yes," Ron gasped.  
  
Harry moved his head so close to Ron's stiff cock, every time he breathed Ron could feel his breath on it. "Do you want me to do that by sucking your cock?"  
  
"Fuck, yes," Ron gasped, sounding desperate.  
  
Harry gave his shaft a tender squeeze before taking it in his mouth. The teasing was over. Now all Harry wanted to do was get Ron off. Harry took his entire length into his mouth, sucking like his life depended on it. Ron was beside himself, fisting his hands through Harry's hair and forcing him to take him deeper still. Harry slid his mouth up and down over Ron's rock hard shaft, working him furiously with his lips as he felt his cock starting to tense in his mouth.  
  
"Oh, god, I'm close," Ron groaned, lost in the sensation of Harry's mouth wrapped tightly around his cock. "Harry, I'm  " Ron didn't get out the rest of his sentence. As soon as Harry bit down lightly on the swollen head of his cock, he orgasmed, crying out Harry's name as he did so.  
  
Harry grabbed Ron's hips to steady his frantic thrusting as he swallowed Ron's entire load. He licked the rest of his cock clean before sliding it out of his mouth and getting back to his feet where he was greeted with a hungry kiss from Ron.  
  
"Shit, Harry, you're so hard," Ron groaned, feeling Harry's hardness digging into his stomach. "How can you even stand?"  
  
"It's getting a bit difficult," Harry responded with a groan of his own when Ron snaked a hand down to rub the bulge through his trousers.  
  
"Bedroom," Ron breathed, breaking contact long enough to step out of his trousers and underwear that were pooled around his ankles.  
  
Since they insisted on groping and kissing the entire way to Harry's room, it took a good couple of minutes before they finally stumbled into the bedroom. It took an even further few minutes for them to strip each other completely and tumble back onto the bed with Ron landing on top of Harry.  
  
Ron grinded his newfound erection into Harry's, both of them breathing hard. "Do you know I could spend all day just riding you like this?" Ron said, his breathing ragged.  
  
The only response Harry could give him was a groan. The friction and the heat being generated by the dicks rubbing together was unbelievable. If Ron kept this up, Harry was going to cum soon.  
  
Ron wrapped his hand around both their shafts, squeezing them together. "But as much fun as that would be, I'd rather be inside you, fucking you into the mattress."  
  
"Ron, please," Harry whimpered, wanting that too.  
  
At Harry's plea, Ron roughly turned him over onto his stomach. He wasted no time in working a finger inside Harry's crevice, loosening him up. He didn't leave his finger inside Harry for long, even though he knew it was probably going to hurt like hell, but he couldn't wait anymore and Harry had never seemed to mind pain before. So Ron grabbed his shaft and started pushing it into Harry's tight opening.  
  
Harry sank his teeth into the pillow to keep himself from screaming. Once he felt Ron bury as much of his cock inside him as he could, he started to move. He tightly grasped Harry's hips, so that every time he pulled out Harry came off the mattress and then when he slammed back into him, he drove Harry into the mattress. Ron was able to keep up this rhythm while he used one of his hands to tug and stroke Harry's cock in time with his movements.  
  
Harry and Ron were grunting in tandem and the only other sounds that could be heard aside from their laboured breathing was Ron's cock slamming into Harry's arse repeatedly.  
  
When Ron felt himself on the verge of climax he buried his cock as deep inside Harry as he could before his cock exploded. After that happened he felt Harry's balls tighten in his hand a split second before he came all over Ron's hands and the sheets. Ron frantically kept jerking his hips until the last of his orgasm subsided and he slipped out of Harry, falling onto the bed beside him.  
  
"Oh god, Ron, that was  " Harry couldn't get the words out. He just lay there, not able to focus on anything else but how hard Ron had made him cum.  
  
"I know,' Ron said grinning. "It was bloody amazing."  
  
"Thanks for getting started without me," Hermione said from the doorway. She was pouting but they could tell it was an act.  
  
"How long have you been standing there?" Harry asked her.  
  
"Long enough," she said, strolling into the room.  
  
"You know what I think? I think you enjoy watching us," said Ron.  
  
She did. How could she not? Harry and Ron looked incredible together. She didn't know what came over her, but she said, "yes, I liked it, so much in fact I'm going to have a shower and touch myself thinking about the two of you."  
  
Both boys' jaws fell open and they gaped at her. For added effect, she started removing her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor as she walked in to Harry's bathroom. By the time Harry and Ron came out of their stunned states and joined her in the bathroom she was already naked and turning on the taps to run water for a shower.  
  
Ron's heartbeat started to race again. "Holy shit, you're really going to touch yourself and we can watch?"  
  
She never said anything about them watching and actually, she really hadn't meant to go through with it, but Harry and Ron seemed so turned on by it she might as well do it.  
  
Blushing, she nodded and jumped in the shower. Harry and Ron went in after her. They were watching her so closely she felt like she was on display somewhere. Their looks were distracting and made her feel self-conscious so she closed her eyes, trying not to think about what she was about to do.  
  
The instant Harry saw her fingers disappear into the patch of dark curls, he felt his throat go dry. His breathing quickened along with Hermione's as she rubbed herself harder. It was impossible to stand there and just watch her, so he and Ron started stroking each other's cocks, their eyes never leaving Hermione's busy hand as she slid her index finger into her cunt, throwing her head back with a moan.  
  
Hermione finally felt brave enough to open her eyes, not expecting to find the boys hands wrapped around each other's shafts as they jerked each other off while watching her.  
  
When she slid a second finger into her folds, it became too torturous for Ron just to stare at her. He moved Harry's hand off his shaft and stood in front of Hermione. He added his fingers to hers, sliding the palm of his hand over her pussy.  
  
He took his hand away and growled, "turn around."  
  
Hermione turned so her back was to him. Ron grabbed her waist and pulled her back against his rock hard cock.  
  
"Do you see what you did to me and Harry?" He said, his voice heavy with desire, while she whimpered as he rubbed his cock against her. "You have no idea how sexy you looked touching yourself."  
  
Harry wasn't about to be left out of this. He pushed up against Ron and stretched his arms over him to cup Hermione's breasts.  
  
Ron grunted in appreciation. "You read my mind, Harry."  
  
"Stop talking and start shagging," Harry rasped. He didn't think he could make his point any more clear as he sank his cock into Ron's arse.  
  
With Harry ramming into him from behind, Ron had little difficulty plunging his cock into Hermione's arse, who all but screamed when the boys pounded into her simultaneously. She felt Ron's hands push hers aside so he could finger her cunt by himself. She used one hand to grab at the slick tiles, while the other tangled itself in Ron's hair.  
  
The spray down from the showerhead soaked them completely, making it easier to move with their bodies slick from the water. Their breathing came in ragged gasps from the exertion and the echo inside the shower made the sounds of skin slapping against skin twice as loud.  
  
Hermione came first, arching her body back against Ron's, who continued to thrust into her. She could feel his cock twitching like mad inside her, so she squeezed her buttocks as tightly together as she could, bringing him over the edge with her. Harry wasn't far behind his friends, his cock jetting out the hot, sticky white fluid deep into Ron's arse. Not wanting to crush Hermione, he grabbed at the tiles on the side to keep from falling forward onto Ron.  
  
"Is this what you two have been doing since you got home?" Hermione said when her breathing was almost normal again.  
  
"Pretty much," Ron answered, nipping at the back of her neck.  
  
After a bit, Hermione couldn't stay like that anymore and she moved forward so Ron's cock slid out of her. The boys broke apart as well, looking about as sturdy on their feet as she felt.  
  
"Let's shower off and get out of here," she said to them, "because I don't know how much longer I can stand up."  
  
They quickly washed themselves off and got out of the shower. Hermione was reaching for a towel to dry off with when Harry pinned her back against the wall, pressing his mouth against hers.  
  
"How can you be this hard again?" She moaned, feeling his erection digging into her hip.  
  
"For someone who's as brilliant as you I'd have thought you'd know the answer to that," he said, shifting his body, so his dick was rubbing against her pussy lips.  
  
"Wait, Harry, I can't stay on my feet any longer," she said, hoping they could continue this on the bed.  
  
"You don't have to," he said in a low, throaty voice. He nudged his cock into her entrance before grabbing her legs and holding them around his waist so he was the only thing keeping her standing. Once he had a secure hold on her he started thrusting in and out of her.  
  
Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's neck as he moved inside her, rocking his hips against hers.  
  
Harry leaned in as close to her ear as he could. "Do you always think about me and Ron when you touch yourself?"  
  
When she didn't answer right away, Harry pulled back so just the head of his cock was thrusting into her. She had forgotten this  how much Harry liked being in control and having her at his mercy.  
  
"Yes," she breathed and was rewarded with Harry burying the length of himself inside her.  
  
"We think about you too," Harry said. "Even when we were still in school and it was just the two of us we would think about you when we were together."  
  
"Harry," was all she could say, squeezing her eyes shuts as he continued to move in and out of her. When she felt his mouth clamp down on one of her breasts, her eyes flew open. "Harry!"  
  
Harry suckled on her breasts as he continuously drive himself into her. Her body started shuddering against him as the beginnings of her orgasm started to overtake her. Harry didn't know how she did it but once she clenched her muscles around him he didn't last any longer. He came hard inside her, filling her to the brim. They both finally stopped shaking and Harry let go of her legs, but remained pressed up against her.  
  
"Fuck, Harry, you have a lot of stamina," Ron said in part admiration, part jealously. He was leaning against the sink, having watched them the entire time.  
  
"I suppose it's a good thing I didn't give up Quidditch then," Harry remarked. But even he had limits and was feeling like he needed to rest for a bit. "How are you doing?" He asked Hermione, who still had her arms wrapped around him.  
  
"If you move Harry, I really am going to fall over," she said, her legs feeling like jelly.  
  
Harry chuckled quietly. "Let's get you over to the bed."  
  
"We're still soaking wet," she said, still alert enough to protest.  
  
"That's the way Ron and I like you best," Harry said and picked her up, ignoring the pain that shot through his shoulder.  
  
The one thought that filled his mind was he had never been so grateful it was a Friday, because they still had two more days of this to look forward to.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Ron was sure the last two days had been the best of his life even if it all seemed a blur and he couldn't really remember anything. His body was exhausted from so little sleep and yet he felt great. But at that particular moment he felt better than great because he had Harry's hands running along his chest while his cock penetrated him from behind. Ron had his own cock buried inside Hermione's cunt, who was bucking and writhing on the mattress beneath him.  
  
In the beginning, Ron and Harry had kept alternating their movements so sometimes they were both thrusting forward, allowing Hermione to take Ron as deep as she could. But now as they were all quickly approaching their own orgasms, there was no pattern anymore and the boys were pushing their cocks in and out in frenzied movements as they desperately sought release.  
  
They had all been shagging so much that once one person was climaxing it set off a chain reaction, like what happened right then. Ron came first and being in the middle connected to both Harry and Hermione he brought them to their own impending orgasms as well.  
  
As had become the norm, once they all stopped cumming they fell back onto the bed in a tangled heap with Hermione somehow always ending up in the middle.  
  
"Tomorrow, I really am going to have to spend the day sleeping or I'll be useless for work on Monday," Hermione said, chest still heaving from her latest orgasm.  
  
"You can't be serious," said Ron.  
  
"I am being serious, Ron. I don't think I'm going to be able to walk properly."  
  
"That's funny, I don't recall hearing any complaints before now," Harry said smugly.  
  
"It's not a complaint," she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "I was just making a statement."  
  
"Which usually turns into a complaint or nag somehow," Ron added.  
  
"Prat," Hermione muttered.  
  
"How is it that no matter how much we shag, you two still have the energy to bicker?" Harry asked them, an incredulous look plastered on his face.  
  
"It keeps things interesting," said Ron, throwing an arm around Hermione's waist. "You should give it a try mate."  
  
Hermione groaned. "There's no way I could handle the both of you."  
  
"That's all right," said Harry. "You two can keep your fucked up foreplay."  
  
"Harry!" Hermione cried, not believing he just said that.  
  
"Well, if it works, might as well stick with it," said Ron and that earned him an elbow in the stomach from Hermione. "What? Harry's right. I can't believe after everything else we've done you're embarrassed because when we row it turns us both on."  
  
Harry shook his head. "You two have issues."  
  
"We have issues?" Ron exclaimed. "You should take a look in the mirror, mate."  
  
Harry laughed. "So we're all fucked up, which is why we're so good together."  
  
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Ron agreed. "But back to what I was saying before we got way off topic, you can't just spend tomorrow sleeping," he said to Hermione.  
  
"I can spend my Sunday any way I want," she said in her most stubborn voice because she knew how much Ron hated it.  
  
"Then we better try and fit in as much now as we can," said Harry, exchanging a conspiratorial grin with Ron.  
  
It was Saturday evening and since late Friday afternoon Ron couldn't remember getting out of bed more than a handful of times. He had been completely starkers for more than twenty-four hours. At Hermione's mention of work, he was already starting to dread Monday morning.  
  
"Honestly, I don't know where you two get all your energy from," Hermione said to the both of them. "If I had known having two boyfriends was going to be this much work I would have put you on rotating schedules."  
  
"I'm kind of surprised you didn't make any sort of schedules, since you're the most organized person I've ever met," said Ron.  
  
"The three of us seem to work fine without one, but if you really want a schedule, Ron  "  
  
"No, that's all right," Ron said quickly, hoping he hadn't given her any ideas.  
  
"Speaking of schedules," Harry started. "What's next?"  
  
"You're the one that likes to be organized and in charge, Hermione, so what are we going to do now?" Ron asked her.  
  
Hermione pretended to think it over. "Let's see, we could shag."  
  
"You need to be a little more specific," said Harry. "Just because we've taking to shagging in so many different positions."  
  
"If you want we could do what we tried yesterday," she said to them, "except you two didn't last very long."  
  
"Hey, that's not our fault," Ron said immediately. "We weren't really prepared for you to do that."  
  
"I told you what I was going to do."  
  
"Well... we were still unprepared."  
  
"I want to do it," said Harry.  
  
"Yes, you're always such a good sport, Harry," Ron said sarcastically.  
  
"It works better than fighting," Harry shot back. "You know one day you're going to say the wrong thing and Hermione's going to walk out of here."  
  
"No, I won't. I already gave her my word I wouldn't mention Kru  "  
  
"Enough," Hermione said, getting to her knees and turning around so she was facing them. If she didn't stop Ron right there she would probably prove Harry right. "I can either do this," she said, grasping their semi hard cocks, "or I can leave so the two of you can keep arguing." She let go of their cocks as she said it.  
  
"We'll behave," Ron said instantly.  
  
Hermione was grateful there was at least one thing that could get Ron's mind off of Viktor Krum.  
  
"Well?" Said Harry as he and Ron continued to lie there.  
  
"Well what?" Hermione said coyly.  
  
"Don't be a bloody tease," Ron growled. "You said you would touch us so get on with it."  
  
Hermione gave them an impish grin. If Ron was going to be like that then he was going to get exactly what he asked for. She trailed her hands down both their torsos, stopping when she reached the area just above their pubic hair.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ron said.  
  
"I'm doing what you asked," she said innocently. "You wanted me to touch you and that's what I'm doing."  
  
"That's not what I meant and you know it," said Ron, shivering as she raked her nails down over his hipbone.  
  
"You're just going to have to be patient," she said calmly.  
  
"I don't think we can," said Harry.  
  
She decided to take some mercy on them. She didn't touch the area they were hoping she would but she did grab their sacs and gave them a tender squeeze. They gave a groan of appreciation in return. From that point forward, Hermione stopped being playful and went after her goal. She grabbed their thick cocks and pumped them until they were fully erect in her hands.  
  
She released her grip on them saying, "move closer together."  
  
Harry and Ron complied, so the entire left and right side of their respective bodies were touching. She took in the look of sheer anticipation on their faces, knowing she was the one who caused it and that in a few short moments she was going to have them both bucking and arching off the bed. Unlike before, she did not keep them waiting very long for what they wanted.  
  
She grabbed both their throbbing cocks and guided them into her mouth. They were both so big and stiff it was hard to give them the same treatment. She could do little more than slide them in and out of her mouth and wasn't able to take them as deep. But hearing their cries of pleasure they obviously didn't care about that.  
  
As Hermione continue to rub their dicks together in her mouth, Harry was starting to remember why they hadn't lasted long when she tried this last night for the first time. It was always an intense experience when their cocks would rub against each other but add in Hermione's hot mouth so that she was the one causing the friction and the experience was beyond incredible.  
  
Harry managed to turn his head to the side, seeing the twisted look of ecstasy on Ron's face that undoubtedly mirrored his own.  
  
Ron noticed Harry staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed the back of Harry's head and brought it forward so they could exchange a rough open-mouthed kiss. But once he felt Hermione lightly grazing her teeth down his shaft, he pulled back from Harry's mouth with a gasp, his hips jerking more forcefully towards Hermione's mouth.  
  
Ron forced himself not to look down the bed. If he saw Hermione's head bobbing up and down with both his and Harry's dicks in her mouth, he was sure that would have been more than enough to make him cum right there.  
  
Ron wished he had realized sooner how good it was to have a girlfriend who prided herself on being the best at everything, even when it came to sex and other sexual activities. It was hard to believe that six months ago she had been an inexperienced virgin who, in her studious way, had studied him and Harry like a book to find out what they liked best. Now she didn't even need to ask them what they wanted she just went ahead and did it.  
  
Hermione was sucking for all she was worth and judging by the boys tense expressions and the way their cocks were beginning to twitch in her mouth it wouldn't be long before they climaxed. She put it off for as long as she could, slowing down her movements and occasionally just stopping completely so she was just holding their cocks in her mouth. She wrapped her fingers around both their lengths and frantically rubbed them together.  
  
"I'm cumming!" The boys yelled almost in unison.  
  
When Hermione tasted the first jet of sperm hitting the back of her throat, she slid their cocks out of her mouth. She didn't mind swallowing if it was just one of them but it had been too much having them both cumming inside her mouth at the same time.  
  
With her mouth gone, Harry and Ron were free to fist their hands around their cocks and jerk themselves off to completion. They tugged furiously at their cocks, shooting load after load of cum until their dicks finally stopped twitching and they both let out exhausted grunts.  
  
Hermione was amused to see that even after all that they were still half hard. "How is it possible for you two to still be hard?"  
  
Ron glanced down at his semi stiff cock and shrugged. "Dunno. It must have just been that good."  
  
The wonders of the male body never ceased to amaze her. "I suppose that works in my favour," she said in a sultry tone, putting one leg on either side of Harry's waist but not mounting him. She let her soaking cunt hang in the air just a few centimeters above Harry's crouch, drenching his cock with her own juices.  
  
"Someone's in a demanding mood," Harry chuckled, lazily reaching a hand down to stroke her wet pussy.  
  
She bit back a moan as Harry did that but she could no longer hold herself up. She flattened her pelvis against Harry's. Harry wasn't inside her but she could feel his cock returning to its full hardness.  
  
"Is this all from you going down on us?" Harry asked, pinching her clit.  
  
"Yes," she purred, grinding herself into Harry's hand.  
  
The mattress shifted as Ron got up and positioned himself behind Hermione. He began trailing kisses up her spine while his hands roughly kneaded her breasts.  
  
As incredible as it was to have two sets of hands touching her so intimately, it left her wanting more. She stared down Harry with a seductive look. "Do you want me to ride you, Harry?"  
  
"God, yes," Harry rasped as she leaned forward to lick both his nipples before trailing her tongue down his torso and then licking his shaft from its base to swollen head before sitting up on his lap again. She moved her hips off of his so she could position herself above Harry and then sank down onto his cock.  
  
Harry started to move inside her right away. Still possessing the use of her voice, she said, "Ron  "  
  
"You don't need to tell me," he said, his mouth almost touching her ear. "I already know you want my cock hard and fast into your arse." To prove his point, he flattened his palms against her breasts to give him something to hold onto as he buried his cock inside her in one swift motion.  
  
She almost arched off Harry's lap completely when he did that. There was a moment of searing pain, but she had taken it from behind more times than she could count in the last twenty-four hours that she was loose enough for him to slide in without the pain lasting for too long.  
  
"Don't forget about Harry," said Ron as he penetrated her from behind.  
  
It was impossible to forget Harry lying there with his cock wedged deep inside her. "How hard do you want it, Harry?" She asked but it came out more sounding like a moan because of Ron driving his length in and out of her.  
  
Harry's answer was gripping her hips and impaling her hard onto his cock. Hermione started thrusting down onto him on her own after that but Harry kept his hands where they were, rolling his hips against hers at every thrust.  
  
Ron buried his face against the back of Hermione's hair as he pounded into her, sliding his cock in and out at a steady pace. Hermione reached behind to stroke him while he was doing this. He bit down on her shoulder when he felt her soft hand encircling his hot flesh.  
  
When she went to move it away, he placed his own hand over hers, so they were both touching his cock. "Leave it, please," he said, his voice sounding like a plea. "It feels fucking incredible."  
  
So Hermione left her hand there as she continued to ride Harry at a more furious speed than before. Their crouches were both completely drenched in each others cum that it acted like a lubricant allowing her to bounce up and down on Harry's lap with ease.  
  
Hermione was already sinking down onto his cock fine without his help, so Harry took his hands off her waist and buried them in the soaking curls of her pussy.  
  
She let out a throaty moan. "Oh, Harry!"  
  
Harry thought about moving himself into a sitting position but it felt too damn good having Hermione grinding herself down onto his cock with wanton abandon. It was also extremely tempting to just lie there and let her fuck him, so he decided to try it, but kept his fingers where they were on her cunt.  
  
Hermione looked down at him as soon he stopped thrusting against her. "How come I'm doing all the work now?" She panted.  
  
"Because you're so good at it," Harry groaned out.  
  
She couldn't respond to that because Ron had moved one of his hands down to her pussy as well and together he and Harry were both rubbing her swollen clit.  
  
She already felt the beginnings of an orgasm building up inside her that once they did that, she impaled herself on Harry's cock one last time before shuddering with release as her orgasm washed over her. She brought the boys closer to theirs who thrust madly into her until their cocks finally exploded long after she had stopped shaking. But once she felt them both cumming hard inside her she came again before the boys went soft inside her.  
  
"Maybe sleeping isn't such a bad idea," Harry said, still panting from the exertion of their latest activities.  
  
"I don't think I can take anymore for awhile," Hermione said from where she was curled up against Harry's chest. She had been fine while they were shagging but now she could feel just how worn out and sore her body was. She was aching in places she didn't want to think about.  
  
"And you say Harry and me have stamina when it took two of us to wear you out," Ron said cheekily, lying on his side so he was facing both of them.  
  
"Stamina or not, I need to rest," she said tiredly. "But if you two want to keep going be my guest."  
  
"I think Ron and I need some recovery time as well," said Harry and Ron did not disagree with him.  
  
They were all too worn out to speak, that it only took Harry a few moments after he closed his eyes to fall into a deep peaceful slumber, something he was only just starting to get used to again.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

"Really, Harry, it's okay we don't have to go there," said Ron.  
  
"Come off it, Ron, it's your birthday."  
  
"That's right, it's my birthday, which means I should get to decide how I want to spend it," insisted Ron. "It was great and all for Hermione's birthday but those fancy places just aren't for me."  
  
They had spent the last ten minutes arguing about going to the Italian restaurant Nama while Hermione was finishing getting ready.  
  
"Look, you said you were fine with going when I asked you last week," said Harry, growing irritated.  
  
Ron sighed. "That was last week and now that we're actually going I don't want to."  
  
"You know Hermione hates those pubs which is why we're going out to Nama so all of us can be together tonight, and tomorrow you and I will go to the pub after the Cannons match."  
  
"I could hear you two arguing the entire time I was getting ready," said Hermione coming into view.  
  
"That means you were taking to long," Ron grumbled.  
  
"Ron, if you really don't want to go that's fine. You can stay here," she said calmly.  
  
Ron's eyes bulged. "Are you kidding me? You'd go out and enjoy yourselves while I would be here all alone on my birthday?"  
  
"Like you said, it's your birthday so you shouldn't have to spend it doing anything you don't want to do," she said simply. "Which means Harry and I will just have to enjoy ourselves so these reservations don't go to waste."  
  
"Some bloody best mates you are," Ron scoffed.  
  
"And that also means you'll be missing out on what I wore especially for you," she added.  
  
Ron raked his eyes over her outfit but couldn't figure out what she meant by that. She was dressed even fancier than the last time they had gone, though the skirt wasn't exactly enticing since it was just above her knees, so he didn't think she had been referring to that. She looked beautiful but he thought that even when she woke up in the morning in her crumpled flannel pajamas with her hair a tangled mess.  
  
"Can't figure it out, can you?" She said, watching him look her over. "Maybe Harry's more observant," she said with a mischievous grin. She took his hand and placed it on her thigh underneath her skirt.  
  
Harry's expression was just as bewildered as Ron, since he too had no idea what she was talking about.  
  
Ron watched Harry's eyebrows disappear under his messy hair and his mouth slacken as his hand continued to move further up her skirt.  
  
"Harry?" Ron wanted to be let in on whatever the apparent big secret was.  
  
"She's not wearing any knickers, Ron." Harry's voice was heavy with desire when he spoke.  
  
It wasn't that Ron thought he was lying, but he wanted to go over there and see for himself. Harry moved out of the way so Ron could hike up her skirt and see her exposed pussy.  
  
"Bloody hell," was all Ron could say. He let the front of her skirt fall down but kept his hands where they were, his thumbs gently massaging her pussy lips.  
  
Reluctantly, Hermione pushed his hands away. "If we don't stop now you're just going to get hard and then we'll never leave."  
  
He wanted to say it was too late for that but thought better of it. "I know I can be a bit thick but that doesn't sound like a bad thing to me," he said flashing her a lopsided grin.  
  
"We haven't been out together since my birthday, which was over five months ago," she pointed out. "We can do this anytime, but I think it would be nice if we spent some time out in public together instead of hiding in here all the time."  
  
Why did everything always have to have a deeper meaning with girls? Ron wanted to know. But he could see how much this dinner meant to her so he desisted and that earned him a peck on the cheek from Hermione.  
  
"What do you have planned for my birthday?" Harry couldn't resist asking.  
  
"That's still so far away I haven't really thought about it," she said smiling sweetly.  
  
"Tough luck, Harry, you're just going to have to wait," said Ron, not sounding sympathetic in the slightest.  
  
They left the house soon after, apparating down a deserted street half a block away from the restaurant.  
  
Ron tried desperately not to think about what Hermione was wearing  or rather not wearing under her skirt. It was chilly out and he was sure if he was cold she must be freezing, even if she was wearing a long coat. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. Right away she gave him a suspicious look, thinking he was up to something and he couldn't really blame her with the thoughts he had going around in his had, but he had done this without any ulterior motives in mind.  
  
"Just trying to keep you warm," he said to her.  
  
She realized after a while that he meant that, so she let him keep his arm wear it was.  
  
"You can join in too, Harry," said Ron.  
  
Harry shook his head. "I don't want us getting kicked out of there before we even get to our table."  
  
"But of course once we're alone at our table you'll be singing a different tune," Hermione said knowingly.  
  
Harry didn't say anything and kept walking but with light coming from the street lamps she could see the smirk planted firmly on his face.  
  
When they got inside the restaurant there was a much larger line of people waiting to be taken to their tables then the last time they had been there.  
  
"Christ, this is going to take forever," Ron swore. Now that they were inside and he could smell the delicious aromas of all the different dishes he was suddenly starving.  
  
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione hissed.  
  
Ron had zoned out for a minute there but Hermione's voice brought him back to the present. He didn't know what she was on about. It just looked like Harry was unbuttoning her coat but when he paid closer attention one of Harry's hands had disappeared around the waist area.  
  
"As Ron pointed out this could take a while," said Harry, who had abandoned undoing her coat and let both his hands disappear inside it.  
  
"Harry, somebody is going to notice," she said, sounding slightly out of breath. She wasn't even sure how she was still able to think with his hands moving over her folds like that.  
  
Ron wished he had thought to do that because there was no way he could discreetly push up the back of her coat and let his hands wander underneath.  
  
"Ron, do you want to switch places," Harry said, as if reading his mind. "You are the birthday boy after all."  
  
Ron nodded fervently. They were the last ones to come in so there was no one behind them but Ron didn't want to chance getting caught kissing Harry. He might be able to get away with his hands up Hermione's skirt but there wouldn't be any chance of that with Harry.  
  
Harry moved close behind Hermione, not as close as he wanted but enough to avoid drawing any unwanted stares. Ron didn't waste any time, diving his finger underneath Hermione's skirt and feeling her wetness. Her face was flushed and her lips were pressed tightly together so she wouldn't make a sound, and Ron, forgetting they were trying to be discreet pressed his mouth to hers. Hermione seemed to lose some of herself as well and threaded her fingers in Ron's hair, deepening the kiss.  
  
"I feel a bit left out back here," Harry pouted.  
  
Hermione broke the kiss with Ron and turned her head back over her shoulder to meet Harry's waiting mouth. Harry couldn't help it, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her snug back against him.  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
Hermione quickly disentangled herself from the boys at the sound of the feminine voice yelling her name. But judging from the shocked and appalled looks on her parents faces they had seen enough.  
  
Ron and Harry had gone rigid beside her. They were caught.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
"Maybe we should just apparate to her parents house," Ron suggested. "It's been over two hours."  
  
"Hermione didn't want us to go with her," Harry reminded him.  
  
"We shouldn't have listened to her," Ron said, getting to his feet and starting to pace. "Fuck, this is all our fault."  
  
Harry couldn't disagree with Ron on that. They were the randy buggers who couldn't keep their hands to themselves.  
  
They had not stayed at the restaurant very long after the Grangers had caught them. Hermione had left with her very irate parents, saying it was better if she talked to them on her own. Harry and Ron had gone straight home after that and had been waiting in the living room for her since.  
  
"I've seen my mum pissed loads of times but her dad looked like he wanted to kill the both of us," Ron remarked.  
  
"I'm sure he had a pretty good idea of what we were doing to his daughter so you can't really blame him," Harry said.  
  
"What if they don't let her come back here?"  
  
"It's not like they can keep her there. She could just apparate away if she wants." Harry wasn't sure if she would do that though. If her parents were that upset she might just stay there. "If she's not back in another hour we'll go over there."  
  
The words were barely out of his mouth when they heard the front door open. Ron, who was already standing, beat Harry out into the hall.  
  
"Hermione, what  " Ron halted in mid sentence when instead of heading towards him and Harry she went directly to her room and closed the door behind her.  
  
Damn. I bet it went just as bad as I thought it would, Ron thought to himself.  
  
"What do you want to do?" Harry asked him.  
  
"I know she's probably really upset but we need to talk to her," Ron said.  
  
Harry agreed. This wasn't something where they could just let Hermione be because it affected all of them.  
  
Harry rapped his knuckles against her door. "Hermione?" He said in a soft voice. No answer.  
  
"Hermione, Harry and me are coming in, all right?" Said Ron. Still there was no answer, so Ron turned the handle and opened the door, relieved she had not put a locking charm on it.  
  
Hermione was sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest but she would not look at either of them until they sat down on the mattress with her. Her face was tear streaked and her eyes were red.  
  
"Tell us what happened," Harry said gently.  
  
"They want me to move back home," she said in a shaky voice.  
  
"What?" Ron breathed. He had expected it to be bad but not this.  
  
"They didn't ask," she continued. "They told me that if I wanted to keep being their daughter I would move back home."  
  
"I can't believe they're making you choose like that," said Ron, outraged.  
  
"That was after I told them everything," she said. "They already saw us so I wasn't going to lie anymore. I told them the three of us were in a relationship together and had been that way since before we moved in together."  
  
"Did you tell them about the miscarriage?" Harry asked her.  
  
"That was the only thing I didn't tell them. They already took everything else so badly it would have just made things worse."  
  
"What exactly did they say?" Harry said.  
  
She shook her head. "I'm not going to repeat what they said. I don't care if they think what we're doing is disgusting or wrong. I love you both and nothing they say is going to change that."  
  
"So what are you going to do?" Ron dared to ask.  
  
"I don't know. I  I can't think right now. I just want to go to bed." She laid down on the bed facing the wall opposite the door.  
  
"Okay, we'll go," said Harry, exchanging a worried look with Ron.  
  
Harry got off the bed and Ron followed suit. Not knowing what else to do, the left her room, closing the door silently behind them.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Harry and Ron went to the Cannons match the next day. Hermione had stayed shut up in her room all morning that when it was time for the boys to leave they just left without telling her.  
  
With everything that happened last night, Ron had lost some of his enthusiasm for the match. It didn't help that the Cannons were playing horrible as usual.  
  
When the match was over, Ron didn't feel like going down to the pub. He didn't feel like there was anything to celebrate, and he wasn't just referring to the Cannons loss. Harry didn't seem to mind so they just went home.  
  
Once they were home they saw Hermione was no longer in her room. She was leaving the loo, fully dressed and brushing her wet hair.  
  
"How was the match?" She asked them.  
  
"It was fine," Ron said flatly.  
  
Hermione's eyes widened at his lack of enthusiasm. "Ron, it's the Cannons," she stated in disbelief.  
  
Ron shrugged. He never thought he would admit it but there were other things a lot more important than the Cannons right now.  
  
"I'm sorry you didn't have a good time," she said, sounding like she felt it was her fault. "But I've already made up my mind and I'm not moving out so you can feel better."  
  
"You've decided this already?" Harry spoke up.  
  
"There wasn't anything to decide," she said to them. "I could live with my parents for another ten years and they'd never accept what we're doing. I love my parents but I know I'll be miserable and I'll hate myself for leaving you two. You're my boyfriends, but more importantly you're my best friends and I'm not giving that up."  
  
"Have you told them yet?" Ron asked.  
  
She nodded. "I went by to see them after you left."  
  
As much as Harry wanted to be happy by the decision she had made, he couldn't knowing what she was having to give up. "Hermione, I want you to stay but you're giving up your family and Ron and I can't ask you to do that."  
  
"My parents wanted me to give you both up, so they didn't leave me with much choice of what to do," she said, her voice faltering a little. "And I'm not giving up my family. You and Ron are as much my family as they are."  
  
"We just want to make sure you're not going to regret the choice you're making," Ron said to her.  
  
"I won't," she stated, looking at the both of them in turn. "But I think we need to make some changes. We can't hide like this anymore."  
  
Ron swallowed. "You want to tell everyone?" They might as well just take out an ad in the bloody Prophet since the news would end up there eventually.  
  
"Not everyone, just our families. I don't want there to be another disaster like what happened with my parents. I think it would go better if your parents heard it from you, Ron."  
  
"Are you mad?" He exclaimed. "I can't tell them about us."  
  
"Just a few weeks ago you were saying how tired your were of hiding and lying to everyone. Or was that just with me?" She said, narrowing her eyes at him. "You don't want anyone to know you enjoy shagging Harry."  
  
"That's not it," Ron snapped, but avoided looking at Harry as he said it.  
  
"Of course that's it," Hermione said sharply. "You know your parents will be happy if they find out we're together, but you're worried about how they'll react once you tell them you're in love with Harry too."  
  
"Don't start judging me!" Ron shouted. "You're the one who lied to your parents so you could move in here in the first place. If they hadn't seen us at the restaurant you never would have told them!"  
  
"I wouldn't have told them right away, yes, but eventually I would have had to say something. Do you think we're still going to be sneaking around like this when we're thirty?" Ron didn't answer which meant he either hadn't thought that far ahead or he assumed they would keep doing what they were doing now. Both answers were just as likely to be true. "Ron, you've always been so worried about what people think of you  "  
  
"People? This is my family we're talking about," he said angrily. "If you think my mum and dad are going to react any better than your parents then you're off your rocker."  
  
Harry had enough of this. He walked away, ignoring their calling after him. He flopped down on the sofa in the living room, when predictably a few seconds later Hermione and Ron came into the room.  
  
"If you two are still doing this when we're thirty I won't be here," Harry said, losing his temper. "Do you really have to fight about even this?"  
  
At least they both had the grace to look a little guilty.  
  
Hermione had got so carried away with Ron that she hadn't even asked him what he thought about telling people about them,  
  
"What do you want to do, Harry?" She asked him.  
  
"I'm as sick of lying as you are. I agree that we can't go telling everyone about this but it would be nice if the people we're close to know so at least we don't have to pretend around them. But Ron, it's your choice if you want to tell your parents," Harry finished.  
  
Oh, sure Harry had left it all on his shoulders. Ron could choose between being disowned by his parents or probably having Hermione never speak to him again. Maybe he could get away with a compromise. "I told Ginny about us," he said to his friends.  
  
Hermione could not believe this. "You made such a fuss about Harry telling Lupin and you told your own sister?"  
  
"You don't understand, Ginny. She has a way of getting things out of people."  
  
"How long has she known?" Harry asked.  
  
"Since January."  
  
"Ron, I write to Ginny and sometimes go see her on Hogsmeade weekends, why didn't you just tell me she knew?" Hermione said. "It would have made things so much easier."  
  
"I don't know," he said lamely.  
  
"I'm assuming she's fine with our arrangement because she hasn't been acting any differently," Hermione noted.  
  
"Yeah, she's all right with it."  
  
"Then what's wrong with telling your parents? If you can talk to Ginny about us  "  
  
"Hang on, you're making it sound like I gave her all sorts of details. All I told her is that we're together. She knows nothing else. She didn't even know you were pregnant."  
  
Hermione only barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. "I'm not asking you to give your parents details about our sex lives. I'm just asking you to tell them exactly what you told Ginny."  
  
"Telling my parents and telling my sister are not the same thing," Ron reminded her.  
  
"For Merlin's sake, Ron, you're an adult. You can choose for yourself what you want to do with your life. Isn't that what you told me?" Hermione said, staring him down.  
  
"All right, fine. I'll tell them," Ron snapped.  
  
Hermione's features softened. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be forcing you to do this. If you really don't want to, you don't have to."  
  
Ron sighed. "No, I'll do it." When he thought about it, he would rather his parents find out this way then catch the three of them together like the Grangers did.  
  
Hermione smiled at him. "If you want, Harry and I can go with you."  
  
They both gave Ron supportive looks.  
  
"No, I can do it own my own," he said in a less than convincing voice. If Hermione had confronted her parents on her own he could at least do the same. He wondered how long he could put off telling them before Hermione got on his case about it again.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Ron managed to put off telling his parents until the following Saturday, which was largely because he had no more excuses left. His father didn't work on weekends and his mother usually ran all her errands during the week.  
  
He didn't tell them he was coming. He just apparated over and walked inside The Burrow. Both his parents were still sitting at the kitchen table, having finished breakfast but his father was reading the Daily Prophet and his mother was knitting what looked like another Weasley jumper. They both looked up in surprise when he appeared.  
  
"Ron!" His mother cried in delight. "This is a wonderful surprise. I wouldn't have expected you to come around this early. Do you want some breakfast?"  
  
For the first time in his life Ron turned down food. His nerves were already making him sick enough as it was. He didn't want to throw up in the middle of telling his parents why he was there.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" His mother asked instinctively, not knowing her son to turn down a meal.  
  
"No, nothing's wrong," he said a bit too quickly as he joined them at the table.  
  
"Ron, as much as your mother and I appreciate this visit we know you wouldn't come by early on a Saturday morning unless you had something to tell us," said Mr. Weasley.  
  
There was no way he could make up a lie to explain his presence there because once he got home Hermione and Harry would want to know how it went. If he didn't tell them he wouldn't put it past Hermione to apparate over and tell them herself.  
  
"There's nothing wrong but I do have something to tell you," he said, licking his lips nervously.  
  
"Then spit it out already, Ron," said his mum. "I don't recall you ever having problems saying what's on your mind in your entire life."  
  
Ron kept his hands under the table so they wouldn't see them shaking. Why had he insisted he could do this alone? "It's about Hermione," he started.  
  
"I knew it!" His mother cried excitedly. "You two have finally gotten together, have you? Merlin knows you took even longer than your father did before he finally asked me out."  
  
Ron almost stopped right there and let his mother happily assume he and Hermione were a couple, but more lies were not going to make this any better and the last thing he wanted was for Harry to think he was ashamed of what they did together, so he said, "it's about Harry too."  
  
His mother's smile quickly faded. "Oh dear, they've gotten together, haven't they? That's why you didn't look happy when you mentioned Hermione's name. I'm a bit surprised. They swore those articles that awful Rita Skeeter wrote weren't true, and I hoped Harry and Ginny would work things out."  
  
"Mum, those articles weren't true at the time and believe me, Harry and Ginny are not getting back together."  
  
"So Harry and Hermione really are together? I'm so sorry, dear. Is that why you're here, you want to move back home?"  
  
His dad looked every bit as sympathetic as his mother and Ron couldn't take any more of them giving him those pitying looks like his best friends had betrayed him in the worst possible way. "Harry and Hermione are together but I'm with them as well."  
  
His father's eyebrows were knitted together. "What do you mean 'with' them?"  
  
"Um, well, see Harry and I are both with Hermione  "  
  
"I knew the three of you moving in together was a horrible idea," Mrs. Weasley said, shaking her head. "I cannot believe I fell for your cock and bull story about you all being just friends and wanting to live together. If I had known what was going on  that you boys were sharing Hermione like she was some sort of a toy  "  
  
"Mum, that's not it!"  
  
"Hermione is such a brilliant girl, I cannot believe she would agree to such an arrangement," his mother ranted on. "It was bad enough that she was living alone with two boys, but for the two of you to being taking advantage of her like that it's unthinkable."  
  
Ron almost laughed. If his only his mother knew it was Hermione who took advantage of them most times, most recently with her knicker-less outfit the previous week.  
  
"Your father and I raised you better than this," his mother shouted. "To think that Harry is a part of all this, it's absolutely  "  
  
"Mum, would you stop for a second and let me explain?" Ron had to shout as well just to be heard over her. "Harry and I are not taking advantage of Hermione. She chose this relationship as much as we did."  
  
His mother was livid. "Ronald Weasley, if you think the arrangement you have is a relationship I have half a mind to take you to the Grangers and let you tell them exactly what it is you've been doing with their daughter!"  
  
"Damn it, mum it is a relationship because all three of us are in it together!"  
  
That shut his mother up completely who just stared at him with these wide eyes and bewildered expression.  
  
His father cleared his throat and his face had reddened a bit. "You're telling us that all three of you are involved?"  
  
"Yes," Ron mumbled, his own face red.  
  
"Even you and Harry?"  
  
Ron barely nodded his head.  
  
"How long has this been going on?" His mother asked, finally having found her voice.  
  
"Since the summer," Ron said quickly.  
  
"So you still lied to us about your reasons for moving in together?"  
  
Ron gulped. "Yes," he said in a meek voice.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why?" Ron nearly fell off his chair. "Because you never would have let it happen! Just look at the way you reacted when you thought Harry and I were sharing Hermione." Technically, they were sharing her but it was a lot more complicated than that.  
  
"I reacted the way I did because I thought you and Harry were each with Hermione separately and you had some schedule between you of who gets her when," said his mother in a calm voice.  
  
Ron's mouth fell open. "You're telling me now that you know it's the three of us, you're okay with it?"  
  
"I'm not completely receptive of the idea but I'm not opposed to it either. It will just take some getting used to."  
  
"Ron, there's already been so much suffering and loss that your mother and I just want you to be happy," said his father.  
  
Ron blinked. Were these really his parents? He had expected his dad to be somewhat understanding but his mother actually being accepting of it completely threw him.  
  
"Has Hermione told her parents?" His mother asked him.  
  
"Yeah, it didn't go so well." He had already shocked his parents enough for one day. He didn't think there was any reason to tell them how the Grangers had found out.  
  
"How is she taking it?" Asked his dad.  
  
"She's upset about it. Her parents asked her to move back home and she wouldn't so they're not talking."  
  
"That's horrible," said his mother, looking sad. "She's their only child. They're only making things worse. Even now Percy will barely talk to any of us."  
  
"They probably just need some time to adjust like us," his father said supportively.  
  
Somehow Ron didn't think that was going to make the Grangers any more accepting of the relationship their daughter was in.  
  
"Would you like some breakfast now?" His mother asked, getting to her feet and picking up the dishes on the table.  
  
Ron was stunned. "That's it?"  
  
His mother gave him a hard look. "Would you like us to yell a bit more? Tell you that you've made a horrible decision and demand that you move back home?"  
  
"No," he said, confounded as to how calm she was.  
  
"Ron, it's your life, you need to live it as you see fit," said his mother, putting a frying pan full of bacon on the stove. "If it involves being with Harry and Hermione your father and I hope it works out between the three of you."  
  
Ron really didn't know what to say. His parents had reacted the total opposite of what he had been expecting. If he had known it would have been this easy he would have told them months ago. The three of them would still have to keep it a secret from the rest of the wizarding world but at least he had his parents support, not to mention Ginny's and that meant more to him than he ever thought it would.  
  
"We're having a small engagement party for Tonks and Remus next Thursday," his mother said, cracking an egg into another frying pan. "I hope you'll be here, as well as Harry and Hermione."  
  
"We'll be here," Ron said a smile finally showing on his features.  
  
Ron allowed himself to take in the aroma of his mother's cooking and unlike a short while ago was famished.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Harry was sitting on the floor in his room having finally decided it was time to go through the boxes of his parents' belongings Remus had given him.  
  
He couldn't get over all the photos, some of them going back as far as their first or second year at Hogwarts. Of course in those photos it was usually just his father and Sirius, with a few of them containing Lupin it. His mother didn't appear in any photos with them until much later. If he came across Pettigrew in any of the photos he threw them back in the box or folded the end since Pettigrew always seemed to just barely sneak his way into the photo.  
  
"Harry, do you want to go out? I don't think I can just sit here anymore waiting for Ron," Hermione's voice sounded as she reached his bedroom. She took in the stack of photos on the floor beside him, saying, "is that your parents?"  
  
"Yeah. Remus gave me a bunch of their stuff when I first moved in here but I didn't go through any of it before now."  
  
Hermione joined him on the floor. "Do you mind?" She asked, picking up a photo.  
  
"No, it's okay."  
  
He felt better going through them with someone. He knew he wasn't alone but he felt that way going through the dozens of photos of the two people he should have been close to but they were really nothing more than strangers to him.  
  
"They look so happy in every picture," Hermione commented. "They were so in love."  
  
"I'm still waiting for Remus to tell me how they went from hating each other to falling in love."  
  
Hermione picked up the photo of Harry's parents holding him probably not long after he was born.  
  
Harry saw her looking at it and said, "Remus says my parents wanted to have a lot of kids. Not as many as the Weasley's but enough so my dad could teach them all how to play Quidditch." He thought that might get a laugh out of her but she just continued to stare at the photo. "Hermione?" He said gently.  
  
"I don't know if I would have kept it," she said, placing the photo back in the pile with the others. "I know there's a lot of people who have had kids a lot younger than me but I'm not ready to be a mother."  
  
This was the first time she had talked about the miscarriage without him or Ron bringing it up first. "Hermione, you don't have to worry about that now."  
  
"Would you have hated me if I'd had an abortion?"  
  
Harry stared down at his feet, not sure how to answer that. "I would have been upset, but I would hope you wouldn't have made that choice on your own. That you would have come to Ron and me so we could both have a say in your decision."  
  
"When you came to my room that night you said you wanted the baby to be yours," she said softly. "Did you mean that?"  
  
"I wasn't thinking straight," he said running a hand through his tousled hair. "When I found out you miscarried I just kept thinking how much I wished it had been mine. Because I wanted my own family, which is stupid because neither one of us is ready to be parents."  
  
She grabbed his hand. "When it does happen again we will be."  
  
"It will be different next time," he said, turning a green-eyed stare on her. "You'll have to decide which one of us you want to be the father and if the three of us should stay together."  
  
"What are you talking about? Of course we'll still be together."  
  
"A kid changes everything. You can't really expect the three of us to carry on like nothing's happened. It wouldn't be fair to the child to grow up with people taunting him or her because of the lifestyle we chose," Harry said, his voice serious.  
  
"Harry, that is a long way off. I don't think we should be worrying about something like that yet."  
  
"I'm just saying if you and Ron wanted to  "  
  
"Harry, stop doing this," she said, pulling her hand away from his. "Everything has been so good since you moved back. Don't start falling back on your old insecurities that Ron and I would be happier without you."  
  
"What about when I was gone? Did you and Ron stay together?" That was the question that had been burning on his mind for sometime.  
  
"Yes, we did, but we both decided that as good as that was we were happiest when you were with us too," she told him, hoping it would finally stick in his head that Harry belonged with her and Ron.  
  
"Figures I'd find you two in the bedroom while I'm off confronting my parents about our relationship," said Ron coming into the room and joining them on the floor.  
  
"How'd it go?" Harry asked immediately.  
  
"Actually it went okay," said Ron, beaming.  
  
"Really?" Hermione said, sounding shocked.  
  
"My mum was really upset in the beginning because she thought Harry and me had an arrangement with you so we could both shag you at different times, but once she found out all the three of us were in it together she was a lot calmer. They said it's going to take some getting used to but all they want is for me to be happy."  
  
"That's really great, Ron," Hermione said, smiling at him. Although she couldn't help but feel envious that Ron's parents had taken the news a million times better than her own. Her parents didn't even want to see her since she had chosen to continue living with the boys.  
  
"Oh, she wanted me to ask you both to come to Tonks and Lupin's engagement party on Thursday," Ron added.  
  
Harry shook his head grinning. "I wasn't expecting you to go through with it."  
  
"Yeah, well, you can't be the only brave one around here," Ron said to him.  
  
"If it makes you feel any better I could go tell the Dursley's about us."  
  
Ron snorted. "That's not fair. You'd bloody-well enjoy telling them."  
  
"Yeah, I would," said Harry chuckling. He could picture Aunt Petunia fainting and his Uncle's large face turning purple as he announced he was not only living with his 'freak' friends from school but shagging them as well, and that one of them was a bloke. It was almost tempting to go back to Privet Drive and tell them everything just to see their reactions. After being forced to live under their roof for sixteen years that was a small fraction of the payback they deserved.  
  
"What's all this?" Ron gestured to the photos strewn all over the floor.  
  
"It's one of the boxes Remus gave me with my parents belongings."  
  
"Oh," was all Ron said and went very quiet.  
  
With his friends beside him, Harry went through the rest of his parents' personal belongings.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

This time it was Harry and not Hermione they were waiting for so they could leave.  
  
Harry had come home from practice almost an hour late, since Wood had a new strategy he wanted them to try out, and when he walked in the door Hermione and Ron were already waiting. They were supposed to be at The Burrow in ten minutes for Tonks and Remus's engagement party.  
  
Harry, who usually enjoyed soaking in a hot shower for at least twenty minutes after a Quidditch game or practice, washed quickly and then hurried to get dressed. He walked back out into the hall toweling his hair dry.  
  
"Harry, don't worry about rushing," said Ron coming into view. "I apparated over to The Burrow to tell mum you just got home so we'd be late."  
  
Harry threw the towel at him. "You could have told me that before I rushed through my shower."  
  
"I was just coming to tell you now," said Ron tossing the towel back at him.  
  
"Let's just go." He tossed the towel on the floor in his room, knowing Hermione would berate him for it later but was too tired to care at the moment.  
  
Hermione took note of the dark look on Harry's face when he went to the closet to grab his cloak. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"He didn't like having his shower cut short so he's a bit grumpy about it," Ron told her.  
  
"We promise you can have an extra long shower later, Harry," she said to him.  
  
Harry grunted an incoherent response and stepped outside.  
  
"After you," Ron said to Hermione. He preferred to stay far away from Harry when he was in a mood like this. At least there would be other people at The Burrow for him to talk to.  
  
The trio apparated and then a moment later reappeared at the end of the long dirt path leading up to the Weasley home.  
  
"I haven't eaten," said Ron, rubbing his growling stomach. "I hope mum is making us dinner." He took one step towards the house when Hermione tugged on his arm, pulling him and Harry behind the broom shed, and blocking them from view of The Burrow.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ron asked. If she was thinking they should make an announcement about their relationship to everyone there Ron was going to tell her exactly where she could shove that suggestion.  
  
"We still have your birthday to make up for," she said grinning seductively at him and Harry.  
  
Hermione would never cease to amaze him. Ron watched her unbuttoning her cloak, revealing her navy skirt. "Are you seriously not wearing any knickers under there?"  
  
"You'll just have to see for yourself," she said huskily.  
  
Ron wasn't the only one eager to find out. Harry slid one of his hands up under her skirt as well. They both groaned the instant their fingers came in contact with her soft curls.  
  
Hermione whimpered loudly, reveling in the feel of both their hands working through her folds at the same time.  
  
"Were you really going to go in there without any knickers on?" Harry said, both astounded and aroused.  
  
"I have them with me, just not on me," she told them. "I planned to put them on once we were done."  
  
"We're not even close to being done," Ron said, running a finger over her clit, making Hermione buck towards their hands.  
  
"Can we go inside?" Harry said. "It's freezing out here."  
  
"No, we can't go home," Hermione said between moans. "We'll never leave."  
  
"Let's just apparate up to my old room," Ron suggested. "We can shield the room so no one will know we're in there."  
  
Harry and Hermione readily agreed and they all apparated up to Ron's old room at The Burrow. They had to look around at the old, hand-me-down furniture to know they were in the right room since all Ron's hundred's of Chudley Cannons poster were in his new room.  
  
Hermione had only just finished shielding the room, when Ron grabbed the wand out of her hands and tossed it uselessly to the floor before claiming her lips in a kiss, and with Harry's help pushed her back against the wall.  
  
Harry wasted no time in sliding Hermione's skirt off before dropping to his knees and placing his face into her throbbing cunt. He plunged his hot tongue inside her folds, probing and licking everywhere he could. He could hear the rustle of clothing above him and knew Ron and Hermione were making quick work of each other's clothes.  
  
Hermione was arching her hips towards Harry's face so much, it was easy for Ron to slip in behind her once he had removed his clothes. He was already rock hard against her backside that all he did was spread her arse cheeks with his hands before driving his cock inside her.  
  
When Hermione felt Ron enter her from behind she did the only thing she could and grabbed Harry's hair, pushing his face further into her pussy. It was indescribable having Ron fucking her with his cock from behind and Harry fucking her pussy with his mouth and tongue.  
  
Harry let his hands wander up the inside of her thighs as he thrust his tongue over and over against her clit. He didn't even have to move his head much because Hermione was moving against his mouth all on her own thanks to Ron pounding into her.  
  
Ron roughly tugged Hermione's shirt up above her head. He thought he heard something rip but he could care less and at the moment he was sure clothes were the last thing on Hermione's mind. It was so much easier undoing her bra since he was behind her, so once he got rid of that, he cupped and squeezed the mounds of flesh, feeling her rock hard nipples.  
  
Hermione removed one hand from Harry's head and reached behind her to tightly fist her fingers in Ron's hair. He continued to slide his cock in and out of her but with such increasing force she felt like she wouldn't be able to walk normally for days. That combined with the furious pace at which Harry was lapping her up and she knew she couldn't take much more before she reached her peak.  
  
Ron couldn't think about anything except driving his cock into Hermione as deep as he could. Once he felt himself approaching orgasm he fingered her nipples harder than before and pushed her hair to the side so he could kiss and suck on the back of her neck.  
  
Release came for Hermione as she was rocked hard by her orgasm and came all over Harry's face. Harry prolonged her pleasure by lapping at her pussy until she stopped cumming. Even when he was done he gave her a few more teasing licks with his tongue before pulling his face away.  
  
After Hermione had reached climax Ron wasn't long in following her. He kept ramming his cock inside her arse for as long as he could before his own climax hit and he was filling her full of his seed.  
  
Harry collapsed flat onto his back. He was still fully clothed and his cock was so stiff he felt like it would be a challenge just to get his trousers off. Before he could attempt it Hermione landed on his lap and almost immediately started grinding her pelvis against his.  
  
Harry closed his eyes and groaned. "I'm going to cum in my trousers if you keep doing that."  
  
"Maybe next time you'll remember to take off your clothes first," she said grinning wickedly at him. "Does it hurt?" She asked, running her fingers over the enormous bulge in his trousers.  
  
He fervently nodded his head. His cock felt like it was ready to burst it was so hard. It wasn't helping any that Hermione was straddling him completely naked and he could feel her soaked cunt drenching the front of his trousers, which were already covered in wet patches from his pre-cum.  
  
"What do you want me to do about it, Harry?" She said, lightly stroking him.  
  
Harry gritted his teeth. "Fuck, you're worse than Ron."  
  
Ron chuckled, coming up behind Hermione and wrapping his arms around her. "Where do you think she gets it from, mate?"  
  
Right now, Harry didn't care how, he just wanted to be out of his clothes. Hermione, sensing his desperation, pushed his hands away and unbuttoned his trousers herself. She slid them down his legs before starting on his boxers, which she took great care in easing them over his rock hard cock. Hermione gripped his shaft that was so very hot in her hands and positioned Harry at her at her entrance. They both groaned in pleasure as Harry pushed into her and the crotches touched.  
  
Harry was thrusting into her as she furiously rode his dick with Ron pressed up against her from behind. Harry told Ron to move back and once he was out of the way, Harry flipped them over so now he was on top. He hooked Hermione's ankles over his shoulders and then drove into her with his cock.  
  
Ron moved so that he was kneeling by Hermione's face with his erection sticking straight out from his fiery red pubic hair. Without having to ask her, Hermione turned her head and took his length into her mouth.  
  
It was much harder to concentrate on sucking Ron's cock with Harry's own cock sliding in and out of her. When Harry buried his face against her breasts, she almost slid Ron's cock out of her mouth completely. She groaned onto his cock and the vibrations of her voice made Ron grunt and thrust harder against her mouth.  
  
Harry flicked his tongue over her nipples while he continued to drive the length of himself inside her. He was able to penetrate her deeper with the position she was in with her ankles wrapped around his shoulders. He could feel his cock starting to tighten as his orgasm approached but he tried to make himself last for as long as he could.  
  
Ron had nothing to hold onto so he clutched at the carpet while Hermione worked her lips over his shaft and swirled her tongue along the underside and over his swollen head.  
  
Harry came first, burying himself to the hilt and pumping his load inside her while still rocking his hips against hers. Hermione hung on long enough to get Ron off before having to take her mouth off his dick to grab onto Harry's back as she rode out her own orgasm.  
  
When Hermione took her mouth away, Ron wrapped his own fist around his cock, jerking himself off as he shot out load after load of semen until he was finally spent and hung his head in exhaustion.  
  
"It's not so comfortable here anymore," Hermione said from underneath Harry. "Can we move to the bed?"  
  
Harry helped her to stand and with Ron they collapsed onto the bed.  
  
"We're going to have to clean all this up," Harry breathed, draping an arm over his eyes.  
  
"We will  after. I don't think we're finished yet," Ron said, nipping playfully at Harry's jaw.  
  
"Ron, you told your mum we were only going to be twenty minutes," Hermione reminded him. "We're already well passed that."  
  
"And I wonder whose fault that is?" Said Ron, looking straight at her.  
  
She blushed. "I wasn't actually planning on us sneaking into your old room while everyone else is downstairs. I thought we would just fool around a bit outside by the shed."  
  
"Obviously you didn't take into account what your absence of knickers would do to me and Ron," said Harry.  
  
She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh please, that's not even a worthy excuse. You both get turned on by just about anything."  
  
"And you just figured this out?" Ron said.  
  
Hermione's response was getting off the bed  or at least she attempted to when Ron grabbed her arm.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To get dressed, which is what you two should be doing," she said to them.  
  
"Come on, one more time," Ron said, using his strength to pull her on top of him.  
  
"It's always one more time with you," she said unable to contain her smile.  
  
"And because of my Weasley charm and good looks you never turn me down," he said smirking. A snort trying to be covered by a cough sounded from Ron's left side. "Oi, what are you laughing at?" He said to Harry. "I could recite by memory a dozen different compliments you've given me about my looks as well as my other skills."  
  
"I think you took too many Bludgers to the head when you used to play Keeper," said Harry grinning.  
  
"Before you two turn into a couple of girls arguing over who's the prettiest, I'll settle the matter now and say you both gorgeous," said Hermione.  
  
"And you're not too bad yourself," Ron said moving his lips along hers.  
  
"Wow, Ron, that was almost a compliment," Harry said sarcastically.  
  
"Wanker," Ron muttered.  
  
"Do you always have to be so crude when we're in bed together?" Hermione wanted to know.  
  
"Yes," Ron said a split second before he brought her mouth down to meet his. It only took a few moments of Hermione moving on top of him for Ron to start getting hard again. But he noticed Harry had still not moved from his spot on the bed. "Harry?" He said questioningly.  
  
"I could use a bit of help," Harry responded.  
  
"I think we can fix that," said Ron, reaching for his semi hard cock and began stroking him.  
  
Harry had no doubts that would work as he felt Ron's rough hand tugging at his cock. Then he felt Hermione's hand join in and soon the both of them were stroking him until he had a full on erection.  
  
Harry got up and positioned himself behind Hermione. Ron was already inside her and they were starting to move together, so Harry was quick to bury himself inside Hermione's arse before she could start bouncing around on Ron's lap too much.  
  
It still amazed Hermione how she was able to focus on sliding up and down over Ron's shaft when Harry had his hands tightly gripping her waist so he could penetrate her fast and hard. But then Harry moved one of his hands down to her wet curls and she arched back against him with a loud moan and slammed her pelvis down hard on Ron's cock.  
  
Ron used his elbows to help push himself up in bed until he was sitting up with Hermione in his lap.  
  
"Oh god, Ron," Hermione moaned at his change in position.  
  
Ron's hand joined Harry's in fingering Hermione's folds and then used his other one to grab hold of one of Hermione's arse cheeks, so he could feel Harry's cock rubbing against him every time he moved in and out of her. He tried to thrust in time with Harry but it was all he could to concentrate on the movement of his own cock inside Hermione.  
  
Harry moved his other hand off Hermione's hip to fist itself in Ron's hair, bringing the other boy's mouth against his. With Hermione sandwiched between them, they wrestled for dominance in each other's mouths, their tongues thrusting against each other.  
  
What sometimes happened when they were all together was that everything was so intense and powerful that the three of them came simultaneously like they did then.  
  
Hermione almost blacked out from her own orgasm and then she climaxed again when each of the boys did. She wasn't even aware of herself being moved back onto the bed until she opened her eyes and found herself snuggled up against Harry and Ron.  
  
"Un-bloody believable," Ron breathed.  
  
"What's even more unbelievable is that we have to get up now," said Hermione.  
  
"I hope you're thinking of a cover story," Harry murmured, nuzzling her neck, "because we're really late."  
  
"Yeah, it's better you do it," said Ron. "You're the best liar out of all three of us."  
  
Hermione smacked him on the arm.  
  
"What? It was a compliment."  
  
Harry snickered.  
  
Hermione grabbed both their hands and pulled them off the bed with her. They dressed and cleaned up as best they could and apparated back outside at the edge of the dirt path leading up to The Burrow.  
  
"Have you thought of something yet?" Ron asked her.  
  
"We'll just say Harry got injured at practice, which is entirely believable," she said, flashing Harry a grin, "and that I had to use some healing charms on him."  
  
"I'm glad my tendency to get hurt is finally coming in handy for something," Harry remarked.  
  
Hermione then laced her fingers through each of theirs and they walked the remaining short distance to The Burrow hand in hand.  
  
  
  
The End


End file.
